As the world’s population ages, falls and related injuries become more common, making their prevention and management a critical global challenge. Falls are one of the most frequently reported clinical incidents in the community setting and hospitals around the world and are associated with negative outcomes for patients and the healthcare system.
A fall is defined as “inadvertently coming to rest on the ground, floor or other lower level”. Falls can occur at any age, but the frequency of both falls and fall related injuries increases significantly with age and frailty.
Many falls can be prevented, most successfully via multifactorial falls risk assessments, interventions and multidisciplinary management.
Falls statistics
Globally
- 1 in 3 people aged 65 and older has a fall at least once a year
- 5% of these falls result in a fracture
- Over 684 000 people die each year from a fall
- 37.3 million falls are severe enough to require medical attention each year
Nationally
- Falls account for 43% of injury hospitalisations
- Falls represent 42% of injury deaths across the country
- Falls cost the Australian health care system over $4 billion each year
In Western Australia
- Falls account for 24% of injury hospitalisations
- Falls represent 35% of injury deaths in the state
- Falls contribute to 13% of emergency department visits due to an injury
References
- World Health Organization. Step safely: strategies for preventing and managing falls across the life-course [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021; [cited 2023 Oct 16] 182 p. Available from: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/340962/9789240021914-eng.pdf?sequence=1.
- Task Force on Global Guidelines for Falls in Older Adults. World guidelines for falls prevention and management for older adults: a global initiative. Age Ageing [internet]. 2022 [cited 2024 Apr 16]; 51(9):1-36. Available from: https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/51/9/afac205/6730755.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Injury in Australia: Falls [Internet]. Canberra (ACT): Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2022; [updated 2023 Jan 6; cited 2023 Oct 16]. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/injury/falls.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Disease expenditure in Australia 2019-20 [Internet]. Canberra (ACT): Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2022; [cited 2023 Oct 16]. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/health-welfare-expenditure/disease-expenditure-in-australia-2019-20/contents/health-expenditure.
- Sweeney R, Menezes S, Meade R. 2023 Western Australian Falls Report [Internet]. Perth (WA): Injury Matters; 2023; [cited 2024 Apr 23]. 32 p. Available from: https://www.injurymatters.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/StayOnYourFeet_WAFallsReport2023.pdf.