Assessment and Clinical Outcomes of Fall Related Injuries at Emergency
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15218/ejnm.2021.06Keywords:
Fall, Unintentional fall, Injury severity, Fall height, OutcomeAbstract
Background and objectives: Falls are significant cause of mortality and morbidity with a considerable burden on societies, families and victims. The study aims to determine the interventions and outcomes of fall-related injuries, and the association between injury severity and fall height.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 322 fall-related injured persons in West and East emergency hospitals in Erbil City from September 2020 to February 2021. Study sample demography, location of injury, place of affected body regions, outcome, and hospital stay were analyzed.
Results: Of the 322 patients studied, 68.9% were males, and 31.1% were female. Less than half of the samples (48.8%) were between the ages 18 to 36 years old. The most common location for fall-related injuries was residential facilities (44.1%) followed by the place of work (35.1%). According to the type of fall, fall from ground was 38.4%, and fall from a fall height of 1-3 meters was 48.8%. Finally, according to the injury classification, more than half (56.5%) of the study sample had a significant degree of severity. The discharged status of disposition at the emergency room had the highest percentage (64.9%) of the study sample. There was a significant difference between the scores of the items of fall consequences and outcomes regarding to type of ground (soft or hard). There was a significant relationship between injury severity and fall height (p-value = 0.00).
Conclusion: Fall-related injuries are the most common cases at emergency departments in Erbil city. Among ages 18 to 36, men are more frequently exposed to falls than women. The highest risk of fall is occupation with construction laborers at the greatest risk. Fall-related injury is a burden on the health care system, particularly on emergency services in developing countries like Iraq in relations cost of care and resources.
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Copyright (c) 2021 Shawbo Muhammad Osman, Vian Afan Naqshbandi (Author)
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