The incidence and characteristics of patients admitted to the hospital after a fall by the life cycle and risk factor for death

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea
²Department of Big Data Analytics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea
³Department of Health & Medical Administration, University of Gyeongnam Geochang, Geochang, Korea

Correspondence

Dong Won Kim ,Tel: 033-240-5220, Fax: 033-240-5446, Email: hungrytuna@gmail.com,

Received: September 15, 2020; Revised: October 15, 2020 Accepted: October 20, 2020. Published online: August 31, 2021.

ABSTRACT

Objective:
This study aimed at identifying the incidence rate and characteristics of patients who had suffered falls, classifying them by life cycle and factors that affect mortality.
Method:
The Korean National Hospital Discharge In-depth Injury Surveys (KNHDIS) from 2007 to 2016 were used to investigate the sex, age, place, season, payment method, underlying disease, and the death of hospitalized patients due to falls.
Results:
The number of hospitalized patients increased with age. In all life cycles except old age, men were hospitalized more than women. The payment method for treatment was 66.1% through national health insurance, 6.6% through medical aid, and 27.3% through other sources. Falls were most common in winter and occurred frequently at home and on the road. In terms of the number of patients, the compound annual growth rate was 0.9% for men and 3.7% for women. In terms of the number of deaths in hospitals, the compound annual growth rate was -1.9% for men and -7.2% for women. Mortality risk was high in men in middle adulthood and old age, in patients with underlying diseases, and in patients who suffered a fall in their homes.
Conclusion:
The number of patients from falls is increasing, but the deaths of hospitalized fall patients are decreasing. Mortality risk was high in men in middle adulthood and old age, in patients with underlying diseases, and in patients who suffered falls in their homes.

Key words: Falls; Age groups; Epidemiology; Mortality