Mladen Jurišković
University Hospital Centre Zagreb Kišpatićeva 12, Zagreb, Croatia
E-mail: mladen.juriskovic@kbc-zagreb.hr
Falls present a major challenge for health care sys- tems: they correlate with poor patient outcomes, extend the length of hospitalization, and increase overall medical expenditure. According to existing literature, risk factors for the occurrence of falls in- clude the male gender, urinary incontinence, mus- cle weakness, agitation or confusion, and dementia. Studies have shown that the combined practice of identifying risk factors and implementing appropri- ate fall prevention interventions leads to a reduction in the incidence of falls among hospital patients. As the largest group of health professionals committed to providing high-quality care, nurses play an impor- tant role in preventing falls among patient popula- tions. In order to prevent falls and maintain patient safety, it is important to identify the most effective strategies for fall prevention. This study presents an overview of previously published strategies and intervention practices on fall prevention in hospital settings around the world. The most common inter- ventions include fall risk assessment, environment/ equipment modifications, patient education/family education on fall prevention interventions, staff edu- cation on fall reporting and fall prevention, fall risk alerts, medication management, physical fitness of patients, assistance with transfer and toileting and effective team communication and leadership. Ulti- mately, it is incumbent upon nurses, other health- care professionals and the entire hospital system to develop effective strategies in order to prevent falls among hospitalised patients.