Parents' Perception of Fall Risk and Incidence of Falls in the Pediatric Ambulatory Environment

Area of Science:

• Pediatric patient safety
• Healthcare quality improvement
• Ambulatory care research

Background:

• Falls in pediatric ambulatory settings pose a risk to patient safety.
• Existing adverse event reporting systems may underreport fall incidence.
• Understanding parent perspectives is crucial for accurate risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate parents' views on fall incidence and risk factors in pediatric outpatient environments.
• To compare parent-reported falls with data from adverse event reporting systems.
• To identify predictors for pediatric falls in ambulatory settings.

Main Methods:

• Prospective descriptive correlational study in two quaternary pediatric hospitals.
• Survey administered to parents accompanying children to clinic appointments.
• Comparison of parent-reported falls with adverse event reporting system data.

Main Results:

• Analysis of 2327 parent surveys revealed 139 reported falls involving 48 children; only 3 falls were in adverse event reporting systems.
• Identified predictors of falls: children under five, those with a history of frequent falls at home, and children with mobility-affecting medical conditions.
• Developed a nomogram to estimate fall probability for pediatric patients in ambulatory settings.

Conclusions:

• Parental reports offer a more reliable measure of pediatric fall incidence and risk factors than adverse event reporting systems.
• Predicting fall probability using parental input allows for targeted interventions.
• Identifying at-risk children enables healthcare organizations to enhance safety through modified procedures, staff training, and environmental adjustments.