MPIE Risk Management GEM 2023 (Volume IV): Patient Falls and Resources

Despite safety strategies, falls continue to increase and significantly impact patient safety and medical malpractice claims. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), between 700,000 to 1,000,000 patients experience a fall in the hospital each year.[1] Patient falls are increasing in frequency, severity, and cost. Although all patient falls may not be preventable, techniques, recommendations, and tools can aid in helping to identify those patients at risk for falls and preventing the frequency of falls.

All individuals within an organization must understand the importance of preventing patient falls. All clinical and non-clinical staff should receive education regarding potential fall risks and how to report them. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) offers organizations many resources, from training programs to webinars and toolkits.

Below are resources your organization can utilize to minimize the risk of patient falls and increase patient safety.

As you are aware, as of January 2023, MPIE has been acquired by Constellation Mutual. Please see the publication offered by Constellation, Common Factors: Communicating to Help Reduce Falls, to read more about this topic.

Patient Falls: Malpractice Prevention and Patient Safety (released in January 2020)

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

ECRI: The following resources are available with an ECRI membership. Your organization may have a membership; please get in touch with your risk department to ask about access or contact ECRI directly.

If you are an employed provider of a healthcare system and have questions on this subject, please consult your organization’s risk management department for advisement as to system policy or protocol.