Pattern of fall and its determinants among elderly patients attending the general outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital in northern Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: falls in the elderly are a neglected health problem in many societies, particularly in the developing world. Many health and social service providers are unprepared to prevent and manage falls and related injuries as they lack sufficient knowledge to identify their predisposing factors. For this reason, this study aims to identify the pattern of falls and its determinants among the elderly in northern Nigeria.

Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 elderly patients, selected by systematic random sampling. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Variables were summarised using percentages and measures of central tendency/dispersion. The chi-square test was used in assessing the significance of associations between categorical variables. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify determinants of falls.

Results: the prevalence of falls and fall injuries was 41.4% and 25.4% respectively. The commonest pattern of fall injuries was swellings and pain (31.1%). Tripping was the commonest 60 (49.2%) cause of fall. Age (p<0.026, AOR=4.424, CI=1.192-16.424), presence of dizziness (p<0.015, AOR=0.334, CI=0.138-0.810), use of shoes with uneven (P<0.021, AOR=0.337, CI=0.133-0.851)/slippery soles (p<0.038, AOR=0.392 CI=0.162-0.948), having slippery mats (P<0.001, AOR=0.086, CI=0.039-0.192), wires/cords exposed (p=0.005, AOR=0.306 CI=0.132-0.705) on the pathways were the determinants.

Conclusion: the high prevalence of falls and fall injuries signifies its importance in health care. This implies that physicians should be proactive in asking, assessing, and assisting the elderly to provide targeted interventions to potentially prevent falls.