Falls in hospitalized elderly patients receiving enteral nutrition: a cohort study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5902/2179769293179Keywords:
Accidental Falls, Aged, Nurses Improving Care for Health System Elders, Nutritional Status, Enteral NutritionAbstract
Objective: to identify the incidence of falls in elderly people receiving enteral nutrition and verify the association with demographic and clinical-nutritional variables and with the SAK Fall Risk Scale. Method: prospective cohort study, conducted in a hospital in southern Brazil from August 2022 to May 2023. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used. Results: 99 elderly people with a median age of 71 years were evaluated. The incidence of falls was 8.1%; 36.4% had moderate risk, and 35.4% had high risk of falling; 50.5% were malnourished. The degree of injury was classified as mild; all were discharged from the hospital, and 94% had prolonged hospitalization. Inadequate calf circumference was identified in a higher percentage among individuals who fell (75% versus 63.2%; p=0.032). There was no significant difference between the other variables. Conclusion: The low incidence of falls reinforces protocols aimed at patient safety.
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