Inpatient falls are a serious patient safety problem in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).  Injuries from falls are also costly -- it is estimated that patients injured in a fall sustain upwards of 60% higher total charges than other hospitalized patients.  This brief is one in a series of policy briefs identifying and assessing evidence-based patient safety and quality improvement interventions appropriate for use by state Flex Programs and CAHs.

Key Findings:

• Hospital falls are a serious patient safety problem, accounting for nearly 84% of all inpatient incidents. Most falls commonly occur as a result of medication related issues, toileting needs, and hospital environmental conditions.
• Effective falls interventions target both intrinsic (e.g. physiologic) and extrinsic (e.g. environmental) risk factors.
• Effective falls prevention teams are interdisciplinary and are embedded in a culture of patient safety.
• Education for and communication across all staff contributes to successful falls prevention programs.