Fall occurrence in a geriatric psychiatry setting before and after a fall prevention program

A fall prevention program providing staff education, quantitative assessment of gait and balance, risk factors assessment, and evidence-based interventions was introduced on two geriatric wards of a regional psychiatric hospital. A within-subjects comparison was made of fall occurrence during the 4-month pre-intervention phase and the 4-month post-intervention phase using Fisher's exact test. Among those (N = 23) who survived the duration of the study, significantly fewer falls occurred in the post-intervention time period than in the pre-intervention time period (p < 0.01). Comprehensive assessment, problem identification, and intervention planning by nurses may serve to reduce the number of falls among elderly individuals with severe psychiatric disorders.