Brush Up on Fall Risk Factors Do you know which of your residents are most likely to suffer a fall? Can you spot environmental hazards at your facility? The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently posted a new training module to help nursing home personnel strengthen their fall prevention and management skills. In the module, the AHRQ notes that there are two primary groups of risk factors: those tied directly to residents and those linked to the environment.

They list the following as the biggest risk factors related to residents1: Previous falls: If residents have fallen in the past, they are much more likely to do so in the future. Diminished strength: Strength is measured by a resident's ability to stand and walk unaided. Residents with diminished strength in their lower limbs are more likely to fall. Gait and balance impairments: Abnormal patterns of steps and difficulty maintaining balance can lead to falls. Medications: Certain drugs, such as sedatives, hypnotics, antidepressants and benzodiazepines, have been associated with falls. Alzheimer's disease or dementia: In general, residents with dementia are both more likely to fall and more likely to be injured in a fall. They are also more likely to fall during the late afternoon and at night. Vision impairment: Difficulty seeing clearly is tied to increased fall risk. Falls can also be caused by problems in the environment, such as1: Design problems: Call buttons that are inaccessible, insufficient lighting and floors that are wet, uneven or slippery can lead to falls. Lack of space: If rooms are small or overcrowded, residents are more likely to fall while trying to navigate them. Obstacles: Items left in crowded rooms or hallways, such as wheelchairs, linen carts, medicine carts and cleaning equipment, can lead to falls. Equipment malfunction or misuse: Residents are more likely to fall if the equipment they rely on doesn’t work properly, such as wheelchairs that don’t lock. Staffing and organization or care: Inadequate staffing can leave residents at a high risk of falls without supervision. The AHRQ module also includes guidance on limiting falls that cause injury, responding to falls and a list of additional tools and resources for use in your fall prevention efforts. Reference 1 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Improving Patient Safety in Long-Term Care Facilities, Module 3. Available at: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/ptsafetyltc/ltcmod3sess1.htm#Safe. Accessed July 25, 2012.

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