Chapter 12: Hospital Falls and Risk Assessment

A set of 22 vocabulary flashcards covering hospital fall rates, fall classifications, NDNQI injury levels, intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors, and risk assessment tools from Chapter 12.

Falls

The most common adverse incident in acute care hospitals.

Inpatient Fall Rate

Approximately $3\text{--}5$ falls per $1{,}000$ patient-days.

Annual US Inpatient Falls

Approximately $1\text{ million}$ falls per year.

Rate of Moderate-to-Severe Fall Injury

$30\%$ of inpatient falls.

Rate of Fall-Related Fractures

$20\%$ of inpatient falls.

Operational Impact of Inpatient Falls

An increase in hospital costs and patient length of stay.

Accidental Inpatient Fall

An unintended slip or trip, such as over tubing or a wet floor.

Anticipated Physiological Fall

A fall resulting from predictable risk factors such as confusion, urgency, or unstable gait.

Unanticipated Physiological Fall

A fall resulting from an unexpected event such as syncope, seizure, or stroke.

Hospital Environmental Fall Hazards

Physical surroundings that increase fall risk, such as high beds, poor lighting, clutter, tubing, and malfunctioning bed brakes.

NDNQI 'None' Injury

A fall injury classification indicating no bodily injury after the fall.

NDNQI 'Minor' Injury

An abrasion or bruise requiring simple measures such as ice or a bandage.

NDNQI 'Moderate' Injury

An injury requiring sutures, staples, or joint splinting.

NDNQI 'Major' Injury

A serious injury requiring major treatment, such as surgery, casting, or transfusion.

NDNQI 'Death' Injury Classification

Death resulting from fall-related injuries.

Intrinsic Fall Factors

Patient-centered factors contributing to falls, including delirium, gait instability, sensory deficits, acute illness, and cardiovascular instability.

Extrinsic Fall Factors

Environment- and equipment-related factors contributing to falls, including clutter, unfamiliar layout, high beds, and IV or telemetry equipment.

Physical Restraints

Interventions that do not reliably prevent fall injuries and can increase agitation, deconditioning, and serious injury.

Hendrich II Fall Risk Model

A risk assessment tool evaluating elimination, confusion, depression, dizziness, male sex, selected drugs, and Get-Up-and-Go performance.

Hendrich II Scored Medications

Specific medication classes explicitly evaluated in the Hendrich II model: antiepileptics and benzodiazepines.

Medication Fall Risk Score

A measurement of fall vulnerability associated with medication classes and cumulative drug exposure.

Orthostatic Blood Pressure Assessment

A clinical assessment used to detect positional hypotension that may cause dizziness or falls.