Mohamed H. Hamdan, M.D., Faint and Fall Clinic Director University of Utah Health Care
There are many possible reasons for fainting and falling including:
• cardiac conditions
• neurological causes
• metabolic disorders
• stress
Patients often end up seeing multiple providers over an extended period of time before a diagnosis can be made. Often, a diagnosis is never made.
That’s why the Faint and Fall Clinic was created. At the facility, patients will be seen within 24-48 hours and have access to a team of specialists all under one roof. The clinic streamlines the process for patients, eliminating visits to multiple offices and locations, cutting down appointment times, cutting out duplicate testing, and reducing the anxiety associated with waiting for a diagnosis.
Here are a few facts about fainting and falling:
• Fainting accounts for up to three percent of all emergency department visits and six percent of hospital admissions.
• The causes of fainting depend on the age group and range from benign to serious.
• Patients who faint typically see three physicians over a period of several months and yet, a final diagnosis is made in only 50-70 percent of the cases.
• Falling is a common problem in older people with significant impact on quality of life, morbidity and mortality.
• One third of adults greater than 65 years old sustain at least one fall and the incidence increases to 42 percent in adults older than 75 years of age.
• Adults with a history of falling have a two-thirds chance of falling again.
• Faints and falls have a significant impact on health care. For the overall population of the state of Utah, the total yearly payments were estimated to be more than $90 million for faint and more than $350 million for fall.
The holiday season is a great time to check in with elderly family members about fainting and falling!
The Faint and Fall Clinic is now scheduling appointments.
For more information, call 801-213-2033 or visit healthcare.utah.edu.
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