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Estimating the Cost of Serious Injurious Falls in a Canadian Acute Care Hospital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 May 2012

Aleksandra A. Zecevic ,
Bert M. Chesworth ,
Gregory S. Zaric ,
Qing Huang ,
Anneke Salmon ,
Deb McAuslan ,
Randy Welch  and
Douglas Brunton
Aleksandra A. Zecevic*
Affiliation:
School of Health Studies, Western University
Bert M. Chesworth
Affiliation:
School of Physical Therapy, Western University
Gregory S. Zaric
Affiliation:
Ivey School of Business, Western University
Qing Huang
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Western University
Anneke Salmon
Affiliation:
School of Health Studies, Western University
Deb McAuslan
Affiliation:
Nursing Practice Consultant
Randy Welch
Affiliation:
Case Costing Analyst
Douglas Brunton
Affiliation:
Risk Management Specialist
*
*Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to / La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Aleksandra A. Zecevic, Ph.D. Western University School of Health Studies Arthur and Sonia Labatt Health Sciences Bldg., Room 220 London, ON, N6A 5B9, Canada ([email protected])
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Abstract

Falls represent 40 per cent of hospital accidents, and consequences range from none to serious injuries. The purpose of this study was to estimate the average hospital cost and length of stay (LOS) associated with serious injurious falls in an acute care hospital. We used data from risk management and case costing databases to identify cost associated with a serious injury after an in-hospital fall. Thirty-seven injured patients were matched with 2,113 controls by the most responsible medical diagnosis, age, and gender. Cost and LOS were compared using t-tests and multivariate regression. Average costs for seriously injured fallers and non-faller controls were CAD$44,203 and CAD$13,507, while LOS was 45 and 11 days respectively. Hospital cost for a seriously injured faller was $30,696 (95% CI: $25,158 – $36,781) greater than the cost for a non-faller. Hospital managers have a leading role in creating system-wide falls prevention programs and reducing hospital costs.

Résumé

Les chutes représentent 40 pour cent des accidents d’hôpitaux et leurs conséquences vont de zéro à des blessures graves. Le but de cette étude a été d’estimer le coût moyen à l’hôpital de la durée du séjour (DS) associée aux chutes liées aux préjudices graves dans un hôpital de soins actifs. Nous avons utilisé les données de gestion des risques et des bases de données qui représentent les frais associés à une blessure grave après une chute à l’hôpital. On a comparé trente-sept patients blessés à 2,330 contrôles en utilisant le diagnostic le plus responsable médical, et par l’âge et par le sexe des patients. En utilisant les t-tests et la regréssion multivariée, on a comparé le coût et la DS. Les coûts moyens pour ceux qui se sont grièvement blessés en tombant, et pour les contrôles sans chutes, étaient DC 44,203 $ et DC 13,507 $ tandis ceux de la DS était, respectivement, 45 et 11 jours. Le coût des soins d’hospitalisation pour un patient qui a subi une chute résultante en blessures graves était 30,696 $ (95% IC : $25,158 – $36,781) supérieur au coût pour quelqu’un qui ne s’est pas tombé. Les gestionnaires d’hôpitaux jouent un rôle de premier plan en créant des programmes dans le réseau pour prévenir les chutes et réduire les coûts hospitaliers.

Keywords

coût de chuteprévention des chuteshôpitalblessure gravecoûts de cascost of fallfalls preventionhospitalserious injurycase costing
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 31 , Issue 2 , June 2012 , pp. 139 - 147
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2012

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