Background:

Falls are a common, serious, and growing public health problem among older adults.

Objectives:

To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and spatial distribution of the care delivered to elderly victims of falls by the Mobile Emergency Care Service (in Brazil, SAMU - Serviço de Atendimento Móvel de Urgência) in a municipality in Brazil.

Methodology:

Cross-sectional study based on data from the SAMU (2010-2017). The services were recorded in a database and georeferenced. Descriptive statistics were used, and Pearson’s χ2 test or Fisher’s exact test (α < 5%) were applied to detect correlations. Kernel density estimation (KDE) was used to identify spatial clusters.

Results:

There were 1,466 services, most of them with women, with a mean age of 79 years. The majority of patients fell at home, during the day, and from own height. Kernel density estimation identified a higher concentration of services in 7 residential areas.

Conclusion:

The results may help to plan strategies to prevent fall-related injuries in older adults.

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