Purpose: This study was conducted to examine circumstances related to falls in patients who had a fall, and identify
fall risk factors among inpatients with dementia in long-term care hospitals. Methods: Eighty-four patients who
experienced a fall were matched with 168 control patients by gender, age, and length of hospital stay. Data were
collected from patients' medical records and fall reports, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, x2 test, Fisher's
exact test, and logistic regression analysis with the SPSS/WIN 21.0 program. Results: Incidence of falls was
12.6/100 persons/year. Of the 84 patients who experienced a fall, 42.9% fell once, 16.7% fell twice, and 40.5%
fell three or more. In the fall group, falls commonly occurred during nurses' day duty (42.3%). The most common
causes of falls were walking (54.9%), and loss of balance (56.7%). The fall risk factors which predicted fall occurrence
were arrhythmia, urinary problems, unstable gait, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, the
use of diuretics and antidepressant drugs, dependence on a caregiver, use of a hospital bed and patients at
high-risk for a fall. Conclusion: These findings can be used to develop fall risk assessment tools and fall prevention
programs for inpatients with dementia in long-term care hospitals.