Severity of Fall-Related Injuries and Older Persons' Hospital Admission in Kuwait: A Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundFalls among the older population have attracted global attention, with a specific emphasis on the regional contexts of falls. This study reports the incidence and characteristics of falls in the State of Kuwait, where there is currently no national fall prevention strategy.MethodologyA prospective, cross-sectional study reported on 420 individuals aged 55 years and above admitted to Alrazi Orthopaedic Hospital in Kuwait City due to falls between March 2022 and February 2023. ICD-10 codes were used to classify the fall causes. The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators injury severity classification was used to classify the fall-related injuries. Structured interviews were used to identify 10 main fall risk factors. Annual fall-rate was calculated and fall-related injuries were reported in frequencies and percentages. Chi-square tests and multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine the cross-sectional associations between fall severity and risk factors to determine the factors that could predict more severe fall-related injuries.ResultsFall-related injuries comprised 24.1% of the total hospital admissions, with 4% mortality rate. Around 31.6% of the falls led to temporary impairment injuries, 23.5% resulted in long-term impairment injuries, and 44.8% created potentially fatal injuries. The results of this study show that being between 55 and 74 years of age, having no history of falls, suffering from at least one illness, with no polypharmacy effect, and possessing fair vision are significantly associated with the severity of fall injuries. Being male (odds ratio [OR] = 3.38), being over 65 years of age (OR = 3.46), having a history of falls (OR = 2.49), and limitations in visual acuity predict more severe fall injuries among older individuals.ConclusionThe severity of fall injuries is significantly associated with more capable older people. Government officials should immediately design and implement culture-specific fall-prevention strategies tailored to the targeted population.