To investigate the relationship between potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) and falls among the elderly in the medical-nursing integration community, and to provide a basis for fall prevention in the elderly.

A retrospective study was conducted. General information of the participants was collected, including basic information, disease conditions, medication use, various assessment records, and records of fall events. PIM screening was performed using the criteria of potentially inappropriate medications for older adults in China (2017). Statistical analyses were performed using R 4.3.0. Depending on the data type, t-tests, non-parametric rank sum test, or chi-square test was used, and logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between various risk factors and falls.

A total of 1 153 elderly individuals from the medical-nursing integration community were enralled and divided into two groups based on the presence of falls between January 2022 and June 2024: the fall group (n=290) and the non-fall group (n=863). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that increased age, the presence of pain, anxiety and depression, and an increased number of psychotropic PIMs, endocrine PIMs, and NSAID PIMs were independent risk factors for falls (P<0.05), whereas a higher education level was a protective factor against falls (P<0.05).

An increased number of endocrine PIMs, NSAID PIMs, and psychotropic PIMs is closely associated with falls in the elderly. Clinicians should promote rational drug use, reduce the types and numbers of PIMs, and thus lower the risk of falls in this population.