By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    stress disorder
    5 Ways To Manage Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
    October 27, 2021
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    April 5, 2023
    varicose veins
    Varicose Veins Prevention: 3 Lifestyle Changes to Make Right Now
    May 1, 2022
    Latest News
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    How People Are Taking Advantage of Health Deals in the Recent Recession
    February 5, 2021
    Florida Board of Medicine Declares Arizona Homeopathic Doctor “Very, Very Dangerous”
    October 29, 2018
    6 Ways to Make Sure You’re Detoxing Properly
    July 26, 2018
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: The 5 Major Causes of Patient Falls
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Specialties > The 5 Major Causes of Patient Falls
Specialties

The 5 Major Causes of Patient Falls

chgbeds
chgbeds
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

 

Patient falls don’t just happen because of intrinsic risk factors like chronic illness or previous fall history. Most often, patient falls are caused by a multitude of factors:

  1. Patients do not call for nurse assistance

Disoriented or confused patients may not realize they are in an unfamiliar environment and may not use the nurse call button when exiting the bed. Similarly, prideful patients may choose not to use nurse assistance and will try to get out of bed themselves, despite their abilities.

When patients overestimate their abilities and do not call for help, falls can occur. Weak or disoriented patients may not be able to get out of bed safely, or may stumble when walking. Nurse assistance can minimize the occurrence of falls by transferring the patient or offering other assistance when needed.

More Read

ACLS
Does Your Doctor Know Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)?
How To Look For A Drug Addiction Treatment Center
Derrick Rose and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears: Decision Making
Ways to Enhance Your Oral Health This Year
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction

Bed-exit alarms should be used when patients refuse to call for nurse assistance.

  1. The bed-exit alarm is not set

Reinstating the bed-exit alarm on a hospital bed can be a forgotten task in a busy hospital unit. When a nurse or staff member does not initiate or reactivate an alarm once the patient has returned to bed or after receiving bedside care, patients can be exposed to risk.

Bed-exit alarms help alert staff to bed-exiting behaviour in fall-risk patients such as getting out of bed or moving positioning. Patients who are prone to wandering or who exit the bed for reasons like incontinence may choose to exit the bed without assistance, which can result in trips or falls out of the bed or when ambulatory. Bed-exit alarms also alert staff to rolling or unwanted movement towards the edge of the hospital bed, which can occur in limited mobility patients, and cause a patient to fall.

When a bed-exit alarm is not reset, a patient’s exit from bed or repositioning can go unnoticed and result in trips or falls. Preventative measures like bed-exit alarms can ensure that patients are assisted out of bed or are repositioned when they are too close to the edge of the hospital bed.

Bed-exit alarms that automatically restore settings should be used when monitoring patients.

  1. The patient is on high-risk medications

High-risk medications including sedatives and anti-depressants significantly increase a patient’s risk of falling. Dizziness, confusion, or impaired mobility can occur as a result of medication, and because of the numerous effects, patients on high-risk medications commonly experience falls.

Patients on high-risk medications should be assessed at the highest fall risk. Preventative measures include using adjustable low hospital beds, bed-exit alarms, and scheduled toileting can help reduce the occurrence of medicated patient falls.

  1. The patient assessment was inadequate

Sometimes a patient may not be assessed for fall risk on intake. In other instances, a patient may be assessed for a low fall risk, when in reality; a patient may be overestimating his ability or may be experiencing incontinence.

As a result, the patient may not be identified as a fall risk and does not benefit from the hospital’s preventative measures for patient falls. This increases the likelihood of falling, as the unidentified fall risk patient is not placed in a low hospital bed, not given non-slip footwear, nor is he moved closer to the nurses station for toileting assistance – common preventative measures for fall risk patients.

As a preventative measure, low hospital beds are recommended for use with all acute care patients to minimize falls and fall injury. Fall risk assessment should be routinely performed in order to address changes in a patient’s condition throughout the patient care.

  1. There was a delayed response to the nurse call bell

Incontinent or agitated patients may not be willing to wait for a nurse’s response to the call bell. Instead, these patients may attempt to leave the bed, wander, or use the bathroom unassisted. Much like the patients who refuse to use nurse call assistance, these impatient patients are at a greater risk of falls because they are unassisted when exiting the hospital bed.

Highly agitated or incontinent patients should be moved to closer to the nurses’ station in order to minimize the wait time for nurse assistance. Bed-exit alarms should also be used to alert nurses to patients exiting the bed.

TAGGED:patient falls
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
Global Healthcare Policy & Law
July 17, 2025
paramedics in surgical gloves and masks
How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
Health care
July 16, 2025
a woman giving a key
How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
Health
July 16, 2025
a woman with kinesio tapes on her back arm
How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
Health care
July 16, 2025

You Might also Like

health pollution cancer
Specialties

Air Pollution Causes Cancer: WHO Says We Must Act “Without Further Delay”

October 20, 2013

Dietary Fiber and Mortality

March 21, 2011
immune system boosting tips during the pandemic
Covid-19Specialties

How Does The Coronavirus Test Work?

March 24, 2020
SpecialtiesWellness

3 Top Health Benefits of Sexual Active Lifestyles for Men Over 60

June 17, 2021
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?