Fall Reduction Interventions for Hospice Patients

Despite efforts to decrease inpatient falls at a Midwestern Veterans Administration Medical Center, patients on the hospice unit continued to have higher rates of falls than patients on other units. The purpose of this article is to review the literature to determine if evidence-based, population-specific, fall prevention measures could be implemented to reduce the risk of falls for hospice patients. As a result of this literature review, an end-of-life care plan was developed and will be utilized to increase the frequency of assessment and rounding, and to encourage family involvement during this critical time frame.