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Tuesday 10 July 2012

Patient Falls from Hospital Beds


Patient falls continue to be a serious problem for hospitals. Although hospitals have implemented strategies to reduce and prevent falls, patient falls still make up the largest single category of reported hospital incidents.1

Patient falls are more common in the elderly, as patients over the age of 65 are 9 times more likely to experience hospital falls than any other age category.2 As the United States population continues to age, the number of senior patient falls is expected to rise 78.8% from 2010, without accounting for immigration or extended life expectancies.3 As a result, hospitals should anticipate the growing at-risk population for falls and continue to redefine patient fall prevention strategies.

Among seniors, falls are the leading cause of death due to injury. Falls are the most common cause of nonfatal injuries, and can result in fractures, sprains, or concussions.4 Serious head injuries can occur as a result of patient falls, including a subdural hematoma (the bleeding of the brain), which is three times more likely to occur in senior falls.1 A subdural hematoma can lead to further complications including severe brain herniation, which can be fatal.5


CHG Hospitals - Patient Fall Prevention


Though a low-velocity fall can sound non-threatening to the average person, serious complications are more prone to occur in older patients and can trigger repeat fall events and injuries.1 Prevention measures should be put in place in order to minimize risk factors and minimize patient injury as a result of falls.


Height of Patient Beds

The height of patient beds has been identified as a possible contributing factor in patient falls, as the height of a typical hospital bed is often higher than what a patient may be used to at home.1 This is especially likely considering that seniors already experience decreased mobility and may already need assistance when exiting a bed at home. A foreign environment like a patient room paired with a higher bed height could alter a patient’s perception or cause a patient to overestimate their ability, which may result in a trip or fall when exiting the bed.

Aging factors such as cognitive perception and mobility already disadvantage seniors and put this age group at a greater risk of falls. An increased bed height could further increase the risk of falls and cause a greater risk of serious injury.

Patient Falls from Bed

Ergonomist Dr. John Lloyd conducted a study to determine the link between bed height and fall injury risk. Using a CHG Spirit Plus adjustable hospital bed and a 6 inch thick CHG mattress, Dr. Lloyd measured the impact of a patient falling from bed from heights ranging from 9 inches to 34 inches from the floor. Three test dummies were used to simulate a small, average, and large patient falling both head and feet first onto a hard surface. Dr. Lloyd then compared the data to injury thresholds to determine fall injury risk.1

The findings of Dr. Lloyd’s study include:
  • There is a significant risk of skull or brain injury from patient falls onto a hard floor surface
  • The risk of head and brain injury is directly proportional to bed height and patient mass
  • The risk of head and brain injury increases as bed height increases1


At the conclusion of the study, it was recommended that hospitals use the lowest height patient beds alongside bedside fall mats in order to minimize the risk of serious head injury.1 A lower bed height can significantly reduce the impact of a fall by minimizing the distance from the floor. The bedside fall mat can act as a cushion to protect a patient from severe head injury that could result from falling onto a hard surface. A patient’s level of comfort and safety can also be improved with the use of a low hospital bed, and can help the patient feel at ease away from home.

Using a low hospital bed in conjunction with a bedside fall mat can be an integral part of a hospital’s fall prevention strategy as recommended not only by Dr. Lloyd, but by The Joint Commission, and the FDA. Seniors already face increased risk of complications and injury from hospital bed falls, which is why every precaution should be taken when treating fall-risk patients.

For more information about CHG Hospital Beds visit our website at www.chgbeds.com and for more information about Dr. John Lloyd, please visit his website at www.drergonomics.com.

Subscribe to CHG Hospital Beds for weekly blog updates on company and health care news.

CHG Hospital Beds specializes in low hospital beds that are designed to prevent patient falls and related injuries within acute care environments. We are focused on patient and nurse safety and deliver innovative solutions to meet the needs of our customers.

Sources:

1Lloyd, J. (2011). Biomechanical Evaluation of Patient Falls from Bed. San Antonio, FL: Dr. John Lloyd.
2Public Health Agency of Canada. (2009). Risk Factors for Falls and Fall-Related Injuries in Seniors. Public Health Agency of Canada. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/seniors-aines/publications/pro/injury-blessure/falls-chutes/chap3-eng.php
3McFarlin Group. (2010). Aging Trends. McFarlin Group. Retrieved from http://www.mcfarlin-group.com/aging-trends/
4Iowa Department of Public Health. (2011). Fall Injury Report. Iowa Department of Public Health. Retrieved from http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/iprc/resources/FallReport_Apr2011.pdf
5PubMed Health. (2010). Subdural Hematoma. PubMed Health. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001732/


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13 Comments:

At 14 December 2012 at 21:05 , Blogger Unknown said...
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At 21 December 2012 at 20:49 , Blogger Unknown said...
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At 28 December 2012 at 21:35 , Blogger Unknown said...
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At 19 March 2013 at 03:48 , Blogger Unknown said...
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At 15 October 2019 at 11:30 , Anonymous Anonymous said...
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At 26 March 2021 at 19:04 , Blogger Gwendolyn Floy said...
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At 11 April 2021 at 15:04 , Blogger Jay Floryan said...
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years but no improvement. A friend told me about this herbal man who cure
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declares my daughter healed was from a hospital here in USA, And the
results of the test says my daughter was okay. Dr Bharat said my daughter will be heal in 8weeks(2 months) if she uses the medicine as directed. And
In 2 weeks i started seeing great improvement, exactly 8weeks we went to confirm from the central hospital and several test that
was done says my daughter is Huntington's disease negative. She got cured with Dr Bharat herbal medicine, this is super amazing. My daughter is fully okay and back to her work again. I can boldly say that Huntington's disease is 100% curable with doctor Bharat herbal medicine, is real, anyone with Huntington's disease or have love ones that is suffering from Huntington's disease should contact doctor bharat now on his mail. dr.bharatkings@gmail.com
 
At 2 December 2021 at 09:52 , Blogger Tommy Latonia said...
Read carefully, it's said that Huntington disease has no cure, yes with the western medication but not with herbal medicine, my daughter's situation made me to realize that with doctor Bharat herbal medicine it can be cured.. In 2014 she experienced difficulty in concentrating, memory lapses and depression, at first I thought it was stressed from her place of work until I took her to hospital and the doctor made me to understand that it's juvenile Huntington disease because she is still in her late 20s, which she inherited from my late husband that died of the same disease, the doctor told me it has no cure, but gave her some medicine which I noticed that it has side effects, my daughter situation got worst each day that passes, she was the best at her place of work, now a shadow of her self because of this deadly disease, she speaks to herself often, she was really going insane, I do not want to lose my daughter the same way I lost her father, in 2018 I carried out research on internet and bumped into a comment of a lady that got cured of Huntington disease, without wasting time I contacted doctor Bharat whose name was mentioned in the comment, now is been 3 years my daughter is living her best life again, for those that have the disease or have any love one suffering from Huntington disease, contact doctor Bharat via dr.bharatkings@gmail.com
 
At 31 January 2022 at 10:39 , Blogger Jay Floryan said...
Hi everyone, this is good news, a perfect and greats one. My daughter of 38years who has suffered of Huntington's disease for 2 and half years has been cure by a Herbal doctor called Dr Bharat who uses herbal and traditional supplements to cure people. I have spent so much money on my daughter's health for years but no improvement. A friend told me about this herbal man who cure people with herbal supplements. he cures all mental sickness, diseases, viruses, and infections with his different herbal curing supplement .The result that declares my daughter healed was from a hospital here in USA, And the results of the test says my daughter was okay. Dr Bharat said my daughter will be heal in 8weeks(2 months) if she uses the supplements as directed. In 2 weeks i started seeing great improvement, exactly 8weeks we went to confirm from the central hospital and several test that was done says my daughter is Huntington's disease negative. She got cured with Dr Bharat herbal supplements, this is super amazing. My daughter is fully okay and back to her work again. I can boldly say that Huntington's disease is 100% curable with doctor Bharat herbal supplements, is real, anyone with Huntington's disease or have love ones that is suffering from Huntington's disease should contact doctor Bharath now on his mail. dr.bharatkings@gmail.com or WhatsApp him on +393509392854

 
At 21 March 2022 at 04:13 , Blogger Tommy Latonia said...
Read carefully, it's said that Huntington disease has no cure, yes with the western medication but not with herbal supplement, my daughter's situation made me to realize that with doctor Bharat herbal supplement it can be cured. In 2014 she experienced difficulty in concentrating, memory lapses and depression, at first I thought it was stressed from her place of work until I took her to hospital and the doctor made me to understand that it's juvenile Huntington disease because she is still in her late 20s, which she inherited from my late husband that died of the same disease, the doctor told me it has no cure, but gave her some medicine which I noticed that it has side effects, my daughter situation got worst each day that passes, she was the best at her place of work, now a shadow of her self because of this deadly disease, she speaks to herself often, she was really going insane, I do not want to lose my daughter the same way I lost her father, in 2018 I carried out research on internet and bumped into a comment of a lady that got cured of Huntington disease, without wasting time I contacted doctor Bharat whose name was mentioned in the comment, now is been 3 years my daughter is living her best life again, for those that have the disease or have any love one suffering from Huntington disease, contact doctor Bharat via dr.bharatkings@gmail.com or Whatsapp him on: +393509392854

 

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