Prevention of Inpatient Falls
Patient falls remain the most common adverse event in acute care facilities, with 2%-15% of hospitalized patients reported to fall at least once. Falls can lead to pain, loss of function, fear of further falls and even death (Tanaka, Sakuma, Ohtani, Toshiro, Matsumura, & Morimoto, 2012). An increased focus is being placed on inpatient falls because of morbidity, mortality, increased cost of care, and lack of reimbursement (Cumbler, Simpson, Rosenthal, & Likosky, 2013). The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) defines a fall as “an unplanned descent to the floor with or without injury to the patient” (Miake-Lye, Hempel, Ganz, & Shekelle, 2013).…