Risk of Falling and its Affecting Factors Among Emergency Room Patients

Aim: This study was conducted to determine the risk of falling and its affecting factors among emergency room (ER) patients. Material and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 1000 patients who presented at ER. The data was collected by using a questionnaire and the KINDER 1 Fall Assessment Tool designed for ER patients. The data were analyzed by using number, percentage and chisquare test. Results: It was found that 24.5% of the participants were over 65 years old, 49.1% were male and 55.9% had chronic disease. 65.3% of the participants were found to have a high risk of falling. A statistically significant difference between the risk of falling and age, gender, having chronic illness, visual/hearing problem, history of falling, continuous drug use, state of consciousness was found. Conclusion: It was found that patients who presented at ER had a high risk of falling. According to the study results, it could be advised to assess the falling risk of ER patients with assessment tools specific to ER.