📚 Deeper Dive · Scenario 11 of 57

Falls, In Depth

Fall prevention & post-fall response — the why behind the safety bundle
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Coach Katie
You already lived this with Mrs. Carter. Now let's understand it deeply — how skin breaks down, how you prevent it with your hands, and how you pass it on. Learn it, live it, share it.
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Falls are predictable — and preventable

Falls are one of the most common and serious events in a hospital, and most are foreseeable. Confusion, an unsteady gait, urgency to get to the bathroom, and blood-pressure-lowering medications are classic risk factors. When you can predict a fall, you can prevent it.

Think of a lifeguard who knows which swimmers are struggling before anyone shouts. You read the risk factors and put safeguards in place before the fall, not after.

The prevention bundle

  • Bed low and locked, call light and belongings in reach.
  • Non-skid footwear and a clear, uncluttered path.
  • Answer call lights promptly and reorient a confused patient often.
  • Keep high-risk patients in sight and check on them frequently.
Rails are not a fall cure. Four raised side rails can act as a restraint, and a confused patient may climb over them and fall from higher up.

After a fall: assess before you move

If a patient does fall, assume injury until you have cleared it — do not move the patient quickly. Check responsiveness and ABCs, do a head-to-toe and neuro check for injury, and get help. If a faint (syncope) may have caused the fall, take orthostatic vitals. A head strike on a blood thinner is high-risk for bleeding inside the skull — neuro checks, vitals, keep still, and notify the provider.