Fall Prevention Research Archive
FIM Predicts Rehab Inpatient Falls
A rehabilitation facility evaluated Functional Independence Measure (FIM) items and patient diagnoses to identify variables that were associated with high risk of falling. FIM scores and diagnoses were collected for the 174 patients in the study. Several FIM items were associated with high risk of falling, including to
Age and Gender Predict Serious Injury Falls in Hospitalized Patients
A recent study identified predictors of falls with resultant serious injury in hospitalized patients. A total of 1,438 patient falls that occurred between 2008 and 2010 were evaluated by secondary data analysis. Numerous variables were examined, including demographics, illness severity, and hospital unit. An online eve
Two New Studies Review Falls Risk Assessment Tool Performance
Falls risk stratification is complex and difficult to achieve due to the many variables that contribute to patient fall risk. More than 35 factors are believed to contribute directly to inpatient falls. Falls risk assessment tools must be sufficiently sensitive to identify all at-risk patients and sufficiently specific
Modified Falls Risk Tool Predicts Falls in Community-Dwelling Elderly People
Can a questionnaire used in primary care identify elderly patients who are at high risk of falling? Researchers in Japan combined retrospective and prospective studies of 2 different patient samples to develop a method to identify elderly patients with high risk of falling. In the retrospective portion of the study, 18
Inter-rater Reliability of Modified Morse Fall Scale
A recent study in an acute care hospital in Singapore measured the inter-rater reliability of a modified Morse Falls Scale (mMFS). The original MFS consists of 6 evaluation items. In the modified scale, one additional component, “risk taking behavior,” was included. One researcher and nurses on 7 wards participated in
Home Healthcare Falls Risk Assessment Tool Identifies Contribution of Individual Factors
Inspired by The Joint Commission national safety goal of reducing falls, researchers at a home healthcare agency serving suburban Philadelphia evaluated a simple falls risk assessment tool (FRA). The FRA consists of 10 items: level of consciousness/mental status, history of falls (3 months), ambulation/elimination stat
Study of Fall Prevention Sensors in Elderly Inpatients is Inconclusive
A recent study reviewed research on fall prevention sensor use in elderly inpatients. Falls are a common and potentially serious event for elderly patients, who are often frail and recover more slowly from fall-related injury injuries. To prevent falls, healthcare workers often use physical restraints with elderly pati
A Large Study of Inpatient Falls and Falls Prevention Across Academic Medical Centers
The University Healthsystem Consortium (UHC) in Chicago conducted a retrospective review of 154,618 inpatient falls that occurred from 2004 through 2010 in order to identify factors associated with falls and determine the effectiveness of falls prevention programs. Trends in patient falls, fall rates, and several fall-
Hendrich II Fall Risk Model Used in Acute Care
The Hendrich II Fall Risk Model was evaluated in a retrospective descriptive study in a 750-bed Midwest hospital. Hospital policy required that patients be assessed for fall risk, using the Hendrich II Fall Risk Model, on admission and at least once daily. Data were collected by chart review of the records of 107 patie
Falls Prevention in Ambulatory Surgery Centers
Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) patients may be at risk of falling due to a number of factors that differ from an inpatient setting and therefore require specific assessment and intervention. During the third quarter of 2012, ASCs reported a patient fall rate of 0.134 per 1000 admissions, representing 198 falls nationa
Applied Research
From Applied Nursing Research, Vol. 16, No. 1 (February), 2003: pp 9-21 by Ann L. Hendrich, Patricia S. Bender and Allen Nyhuis