The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence and characteristics of toileting-related falls in hospitalised older people.

Retrospective analysis of falls related to night-time toileting in patients 60 years or over in a tertiary hospital during a one-year period.

Overall 34% of falls were related to toileting with at least 44% of these falls occurring during the night. Toilet-related falls peaked between 11 pm and 1 am, a period that coincides with maximum supine-induced diuresis. Almost half of night falls occurred at the bedside. In 80% of night toileting-related falls, patients were mobilising without the recommended level of assistance. Half of all patients had no strategies for toileting documented in their care plan.

Findings support screening for nocturia in older inpatients and implementation of strategies to reduce both the need for toileting at night and risk factors for falling.

Australasian journal on ageing. 2019 Jul 18 [Epub ahead of print]

Georgie Rose, Veerle Decalf, Karel Everaert, Wendy F Bower

Department of Medicine & Aged Care, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia., Department of Urology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

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