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Preventing in-hospital newborn falls: a literature review
Tara Matteson1, Audery Henderson-Williams, Jessica Nelson
1Tara Matteson is a Nurse Educator for University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Passavant, PA, and an Adjunct Instructor for Indiana State University, IN. She can be reached via e-mail at tara.matteson@gmail.com Audery Henderson-Williams is a Clinical Coordinator, DeKalb Medical Center, GA. Jessica Nelson is a Chairperson and Assistant Professor at Indiana State University, Terre Haute IN.
Insights
In-hospital newborn falls are underreported, causing injury or death. Understanding causes and implementing safe-sleep policies are crucial for prevention and protecting newborns and caregivers.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Patient safety
- Risk management
Background:
- In-hospital newborn falls are underresearched and underreported.
- Published statistics suggest 600-1,600 newborn falls occur annually.
- Falls can lead to newborn injury, death, legal issues, and caregiver emotional distress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review literature on causes and risks of in-hospital newborn falls.
- To explore prevention measures for newborn falls.
- To present best practices for safe-sleep policies to prevent falls.
Main Methods:
- Literature search to ascertain causation and associated risks.
- Review of existing studies on in-hospital newborn falls.
- Synthesis of findings to identify prevention strategies.
Main Results:
- Identified factors contributing to in-hospital newborn falls.
- Explored various prevention measures and their effectiveness.
- Highlighted the importance of safe-sleep policies.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the factors associated with newborn falls is critical for nurses.
- Implementing evidence-based prevention strategies, including safe-sleep policies, can reduce fall incidents.
- Addressing this issue protects newborns, supports caregivers, and mitigates institutional risks.
Abstract:
In-hospital newborn falls are arguably one of the most underresearched and underreported issues for organizations that care for newborn patients. From the few published statistics of in-hospital fall rates, we know that perhaps 600 to 1,600 newborn falls occur annually. Many of these falls can result in injury or even death of the newborn, legal issues for the institution, and severe emotional stress to the caregiver(s) and parents. Therefore, we searched the literature to ascertain causation and associated risks associated with in-hospital newborn falls. This is an important issue for nurses to understand because not only can the newborn be harmed due to a fall, but the actual newborn fall can also elicit strong feelings of guilt and culpability in the caregiver(s). This article reviews the literature to examine what is known about the factors associated with in-hospital newborn falls, to explore prevention measures, and to present best practices for how to adopt safe-sleep policy to prevent newborn falls.
