Universal fall precautions refer to the set of practices meant to prevent patient falls and assure their safety in the hospital. This not only applies to the elderly. The patient may be a 20-year-old, post-op in a post-anesthesia care unit. This patient may be young but anyone under anesthesia can possibly have impaired safety recognition and roll over the gurney if the side rails are not raised. The same is true with a middle-aged man who recently had a stroke. Or a patient who has a sundowner is alert in the daytime and may wander around at night. This course reviews universal fall precautions to keep our patients safe and comfortable.
Learning Objectives Preventing Falls
- Explain universal fall precautions.
- Lists interventions that can prevent falls.
- Recognize that some elderly patients may have differing states of alertness depending on the time of the day or the environment.
- Explain the assessment of patients’ fall risk.
- Recognize that fall prevention means injury prevention.