Hospital inpatients, particularly older people are at an increased risk of falls and illness can lead to increased confusion and unsteadiness. A fall in hospital may be the first sign that a patient has deteriorated. Younger patients may be at risk of falling during their hospital stay e.g. when under effects of anaesthesia or medication. Additional risk factors are included in the table below:
| Risk Factor | Example/Link |
|---|---|
| Acute illness | e.g. shortness of breath, fatigue, fracture, anaesthesia, analgesia. All factors impact upon falls risk and must be considered when making a clinical judgement of risk of falls. |
| History of previous falls | e.g. previous admissions with fall or fracture |
| Cognitive impairment | e.g delirium (acute confusion) or dementia Think Delirium Information Poster |
| Urinary incontinence | e.g urinary frequency Adult bladder and bowel Nursing Team (info on Intranet) |
| Postural hypotension (Low Blood Pressure when lying down) | Postural hypotension |
| Unsteadiness or manner of walking/gait problem from any cause | |
| Polypharmacy (taking 4 or more drugs) especially psychotropics/sedatives | Drugs that may increase the risk of falls information |
| Inappropriate Footwear or foot problems | Footwear |
| Lower limb weakness or joint disease | |
| Cardiac disease | e.g. arrhythmia or aortic stenosis if syncope is suspected |
| Neurological disease | e.g. Stroke, Parkinson’s peripheral neuropathy Parkinson’s UK Information |
| Visual impairment | e.g. cataracts, macular degeneration, poor glasses |
| Age>75 |
Acute and chronic conditions can also increase a person’s falls risk and should be considered when making a clinical judgement about a person’s risk of falls when in hospital.
