Carey D, Laffoy M
Department of Public Health, HSE Eastern Region, Dr Steevens' Hospital, Dublin 8.
Ir Med J. 2005 Jun;98(6):179-81.
This paper describes hospitalisations due to falls among people aged 65 years and over resident in the Eastern Region of Ireland. Of the 2,029 hospitalisations recorded for 2002, 78% were female and 68% were aged 75 years and over. Fractures accounted for 1,697 or 84% of cases with nearly half of them (841) sustained to the hip. Females were more likely to have a limb fracture whereas males were more likely to have a head injury. The total inpatient costs of the 2,029 hospitalisations were estimated at 10.6 million euros. Hip fractures were the costliest injuries as they accounted for 7.4 million euros (70%) of inpatient costs. There are also substantial additional costs implications for hip fractures as they constituted the majority (56%) of cases transferred to nursing/convalescent homes or long-stay health facilities. In keeping with an ageing population, the problem of injuries in older people is likely to increase over time and as falls are the dominant cause of those injuries, all acute and long-stay health facilities need to develop and implement fall prevention strategies for older people.
本文描述了爱尔兰东部地区65岁及以上居民因跌倒而住院的情况。2002年记录的2029例住院病例中，78%为女性，68%年龄在75岁及以上。骨折占1697例（84%），其中近一半（841例）为髋部骨折。女性更易发生四肢骨折，而男性更易发生头部损伤。2029例住院病例的住院总费用估计为1060万欧元。髋部骨折是最昂贵的损伤，占住院费用的740万欧元（70%）。髋部骨折还带来大量额外费用，因为它们占转至护理/疗养院或长期健康设施病例的大多数（56%）。随着人口老龄化，老年人受伤问题可能会随着时间推移而增加，由于跌倒是这些损伤的主要原因，所有急症和长期健康设施都需要制定并实施针对老年人的跌倒预防策略。
