A retrospective cohort study based on registry data from older patients admitted to hospital for injury found that recent opioid use was associated with an increased risk of a fall.¹ Patients who had received a recent prescription (in the 2 weeks before the injury) for opioid drugs were more likely to have been admitted for a fall than for any other type of injury.

The study included all patients aged 65 years and older who were admitted to hospital (for more than 2 days) for injury in 57 trauma centres …