Bernet, Niklaus Stefan; Everink, Irma H. J.; Hahn, Sabine; Müller, Marianne; Schols, Jos M. G. A. (2024). Risk-adjusted trend in national inpatient fall rates observed from 2011 to 2019 in acute care hospitals in Switzerland: a repeated multicentre cross-sectional study BMJ Open, 14(5), e082417. BMJ 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-082417
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Objectives: This study aimed to investigate whether a significant trend regarding inpatient falls in Swiss acute care hospitals between 2011 and 2019 could be confirmed on a national level, and whether the trend persists after risk adjustment for patient-related fall risk factors. Design: A secondary data analysis was conducted based on annual multicentre cross-sectional studies carried out between 2011 and 2019. Setting: All Swiss acute care hospitals were obliged to participate in the surveys. Except for emergency departments, outpatient wards and recovery rooms, all wards were included. Participants: All inpatients aged 18 or older who had given their informed consent and whose data were complete and available were included. Outcome measure Whether a patient had fallen in the hospital was retrospectively determined on the survey day by asking patients the following question: Have you fallen in this institution in the last 30 days? Results Based on data from 110 892 patients from 222 Swiss hospitals, a national inpatient fall rate of 3.7% was determined over the 9 survey years. A significant linear decreasing trend (p=0.004) was observed using the Cochran-Armitage trend test. After adjusting for patient-related fall risk factors in a two-level random intercept logistic regression model, a significant non-linear decreasing trend was found at the national level. Conclusions: A significant decrease in fall rates in Swiss hospitals, indicating an improvement in the quality of care provided, could be confirmed both descriptively and after risk adjustment. However, the non-linear trend, that is, an initial decrease in inpatient falls that flattens out over time, also indicates a possible future increase in fall rates. Monitoring of falls in hospitals should be maintained at the national level. Risk adjustment accounts for the observed increase in patient-related fall risk factors in hospitals, thus promoting a fairer comparison of the quality of care provided over time.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
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Division/Institute: |
School of Health Professions School of Health Professions > Nursing School of Health Professions > Nursing > Innovation in the Field of Quality in the Health Sector |
Name: |
Bernet, Niklaus Stefan 0000-0001-6478-1326; Everink, Irma H. J.; Hahn, Sabine 0000-0002-2697-2014; Müller, Marianne and Schols, Jos M. G. A. |
ISSN: |
2044-6055 |
Publisher: |
BMJ |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Niklaus Stefan Bernet |
Date Deposited: |
22 May 2024 10:20 |
Last Modified: |
22 May 2024 10:20 |
Publisher DOI: |
10.1136/bmjopen-2023-082417 |
ARBOR DOI: |
10.24451/arbor.21888 |
URI: |
https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/21888 |
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