Audiology patient fall statistics and risk factors compared to non-audiology patients

Objective: To compare fall statistics (e.g. incidence, prevalence), fall risks, and characteristics of patients who seek hearing healthcare from an audiologist to individuals who have not sought such services. Design: Case-control study. Study sample: Two groups of community-dwelling older adult patients: 25 audiology patients aged 60 years or older (M age: 69.2 years, SD: 4.5, range: 61-77) and a control group (gender- and age-matched +/- 2 years) of 25 non-audiology patients (M age: 69.6, SD: 4.7, range: 60-77). Results: Annual incidence of falls (most recent 12 months) was higher in audiology patients (68.0%) than non-audiology patients (28.0%; p= .005). Audiology patients reported a higher incidence of multiple recent falls (p=.025) and more chronic health conditions (p= .028) than non-audiology patients. Conclusions: Significantly more audiology patients fall on an annual basis than non-audiology patients, suggesting that falls are a pervasive issue in general hearing clinics. Further action on the part of healthcare professionals providing audiologic services may be necessary to identify individuals at risk for falling.