A study analyzing over 35.8 million emergency department visits from 2019 across 21 US states reveals a significant disparity in fall-related injuries.
Key Findings
Adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) or cerebral palsy (CP) were more likely to visit the ED for fall-related injuries compared to adults without these conditions.
Among adults without disabilities, only 7.3% of ED visits at ages 62-65 were due to falls. However, similar fall-related ED visit rates occurred at much younger ages for adults with IDD (42-45 years) and CP (34-41 years).
Implications for Clinicians
The authors suggest clinicians screen these patient populations for fall risk starting at ages 34-45.
This stark difference underscores a critical need for early, proactive fall prevention strategies tailored to adults with IDD and CP, well before the typical age of risk for the general population.