THURSDAY, Oct. 3, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Fatal falls incur significantly higher costs than fatal firearm injuries among those aged older than 45 years, according to a study published online Oct. 1 in Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open.

Bardiya Zangbar, M.D., from Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York, and colleagues examined the medical costs and combined costs (combination of medical costs and value of statistical life) of fatal firearm injury and fatal falls during a five-year period using data from the web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System database for patients aged 15 to 85 years.

The researchers found that in all age groups, the medical cost of fatal falls was significantly higher in 2015 to 2020. Overall, the combined cost was significantly higher in fatal firearm injury. After 2019, the combined cost was higher for fatal falls in those aged 45 to 85-plus years. The percentage of fatal falls increased significantly in all age ranges during 2015 to 2019; for patients older than 65 years of age, there was a rise in the slope in 2019. From 2015 to 2020, there was an increase in the annual percentage change (APC) for the proportion of fatal falls and a significant increase in slope after 2019 (APC, 2.81 versus 6.95 for before 2019 versus after 2019).

“The data and findings presented highlight the pressing need to address geriatric falls as a substantial economic burden,” the authors write. “Policymakers must recognize geriatric falls as a critical public health challenge and implement proactive measures to prevent falls, provide specialized health care, and allocate resources strategically.”

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