Use of a postfall assessment tool to prevent falls

Nursing research in fall prevention should not only identify etiologic risk factors to fall but seek to identify underlying causes, whenever possible. Few studies have investigated the use of a comprehensive postfall assessment tool (PFAT) by nurses as an intervention for the prevention of recurrent falls, especially one that prompts nurses to consider all potential causes through a categorization scheme. This study tested use of a comprehensive PFAT as an intervention, prospectively, facility-wide for 1 year by registered nurses using a pretest-posttest design. A 29.4% reduction in the fall rate (z = 3.89, p < .001), 27.6% decline in total falls experienced by all fallers (p < .001), and a 34.0% decline for recurrent fallers (p = .025) from preintervention to intervention year was observed when trained nurses categorized falls according to perceived causes. These declines are likely due to consistent and rigorous use by trained nursing staff, prompting their critical examination of each fall.