Characteristics of falls in a large academic radiology department: Occurrence, associated factors, outcomes, and quality improvement strategies

OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to describe the characteristics of falls in a radiology department. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The departmental incident report database was retrospectively searched for fall incidents that occurred from March 2006 through October 2008. During that period, 1,801,275 radiologic examinations were performed in our department and there were 82 falls, yielding an incidence of 0.46 per 10,000 examinations. We collected patient information, associated factors, specific circumstances surrounding each incident, the location of each incident, and patient outcome. RESULTS. Eighty-two falls occurred involving 82 patients (35 males, 47 females; mean age, 58.2 years; range, 3-92 years): 66 falls (80%) involved outpatients; 11, inpatients; and five, visitors accompanying a patient. Radiography and CT-MRI units were the top two most common locations of falls (45/82, 55%). Thirty-six events (36/82, 44%) were directly related to a radiologic examination. Most falls were witnessed (61/82, 74%) and unassisted (50/82, 61%), and a majority occurred while the patient was standing or ambulating (59/82, 72%). Most patients (70/82, 85%) had at least one predisposing factor for falling. Sixteen patients (16/82, 20%) had fallen within the previous 3 months. Twenty-four falls (24/82, 29%) resulted in a documented injury (17 minor, seven moderate or severe) with one patient dying. Patients were more likely to be injured if they fell while ambulating (p = 0.0257, univariate analysis) or if they were taking antihypertensive medication (p = 0.02, multivariate analysis). CONCLUSION. Falls were uncommon in the radiology department studied; however, they can result in significant morbidity and mortality.