Introduction:

Intrahospitalary falls are among the national and international priorities in terms of quality of care. Although several intrinsic and extrinsic elements associated with patient falls have been recognized, information and evidence on these elements are lacking in Colombia. Thus, we aimed to characterize the falls of patients and their associated factors in a high-complexity hospital in Bogotá, Colombia between 2013 and 2016.

Materials and methods:

A retrospective observational study based on the data obtained from the registry of falls that occurred during the study period in a high-complexity hospital in Bogotá, Colombia was carried out. Descriptive statistical analysis and binary logistic regression analysis were performed.

Results:

Of the 951 falls that occurred between 2013 and 2016, 63.1% were classified as adverse events. According to the severity of falls, 54.2% falls were "moderate" and "severe." According to the demographic characteristics, 53.0% patients were men, 65.5% were >65 years old (median: 71 years, minimum: 16 years, maximum: 98 years), and 23.2% had circulatory diseases. The following factors were found to be associated with an increased risk for a fall that culminated in an adverse event: being a woman (95% CI = 1.08-1.87), night shift (95% CI; OR = 1.09-2.03), and clinical (95% ci = 1.36-4.84) and surgical specialties (95% CI = 1.14-4.46).

Conclusion:

Patient falls are important adverse events that require intervention in hospital institutions. Intrinsic elements (mainly age) and extrinsic elements (work shift and medical specialty) were identified to cause harm to the patient in the event of a fall.

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