Original Research: Patient Perception of Fall Risk in the Acute Care Setting.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare research
• Patient safety
• Gerontology

Background:

• Hospitals use fall prevention programs to reduce patient falls.
• Patient adherence to these programs is often low.
• Lack of patient risk perception and adherence can decrease program effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe hospitalized patients' perceptions of fall risk.
• To examine fall risk perceptions across four acute care specialty services.

Main Methods:

• 100 patients with Morse Fall Scale scores > 45 completed the Patient Perception Questionnaire.
• Morse Fall Scale scores were obtained via chart review.
• Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and independent t tests.

Main Results:

• 55% of patients at high risk (Morse Fall Scale > 45) did not perceive their fall risk.
• Increased confidence in mobility tasks correlated with decreased fear of falling and intention to seek help.
• Patients admitted due to falls had lower confidence and higher fear scores.

Conclusions:

• High-risk patients may not engage in fall prevention due to a lack of perceived risk.
• Integrating patient perception into fall risk assessments is crucial.
• This integrated approach may help reduce acute care fall rates.