Falls at home: hospital admissions in a health region of Aotearoa New Zealand.

AIM: To report on the descriptive epidemiology and costs of trauma admissions to the Te Manawa Taki Trauma System (TMT) hospitals in Aotearoa New Zealand following falls at home.

METHODS

A retrospective, observational study was conducted using data from the TMT trauma registry to identify patients of all ages who presented following falls at home from 2012 to 2022. This study reports on incidence of Fall Related Injuries (FRIs) that occurred at home with regard to age, gender, ethnicity, Injury Severity Score (ISS), injury characteristics and direct cost to TMT facilities.

RESULTS

Searches identified 13,142 events to the TMT trauma system following falls at home. Most events were classified as non-major trauma. There were statistically significant relationships between gender, ethnicity and district, and ISS category. There were two distinctive age band incidence peaks: ≤9 years and 60+ years. Males were more likely to sustain major trauma. The most common cause was fall on the same level from slipping, tripping and stumbling. The average length of stay per event was 5.5 days. The average cost per event was NZ$9,792.

CONCLUSIONS

The study has identified the demography, injury types, risk factors and outcomes for FRIs that occurred in the TMT region of Aotearoa New Zealand. The volumes and costs of injury represent a significant burden on the health system, individuals and communities. More detailed understanding of causative factors will allow targeting of prevention strategies to address high risk activities and demographic groups.