OBJECTIVES: To examine the burden of fall by cause and injury type and healthcare utilization (HCRU) in ≥ 65 years older adults in the US

METHODS: This study included patients from Optum’s de-identified Clinformatics® Data Mart Database who had a fall and associated injuries between 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2021 based on the International Classification of Diseases-10^th edition (ICD-10) codes. We included patients who had a >= 1 claim for fall, aged ≥ 65 years, and the date of the first claim was set as an index. Patients with a continuous enrollment of 6 months pre- and post-index were included in the study. The cause of fall, fall-associated injury area, and type and health care resource utilization were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Key outcomes of interest were emergency visits, hospital admission, length of stay, severe and non-severe injury, and inpatient costs.

RESULTS: The study identified 490,276 patients with falls. Women were more likely to fall, and the burden of fall increased with age. The majority of the falls were due to slipping, tripping, and stumbling. The falls resulted in injuries to the hip, forearm, head, elbow, and back. Most of the older adults had fractures and brain injuries requiring emergency visits and hospital admission. Length of hospital stays ranged from 1 week to more than 15 days and outpatient treatment duration lasted for more than 2 months. The mean annual cost was high for inpatient hospitalization.

CONCLUSIONS: The study found a significant prevalence of falls among the elderly and required hospitalization. Older women patients constituted a major proportion of this burden of fall. Healthcare providers should provide targeted advice and care to prevent falls.