Table 1.
Fall Events Among 784 Hospitalized Adults
| Variable | Percentage |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Time of Day | |
| Midnight–3:59 A.M. | 22 |
| 4 A.M.–7:59 A.M. | 16 |
| 8 A.M.–11:59 A.M. | 12 |
| Noon–3:59 P.M. | 14 |
| 4 P.M.–7:59 P.M. | 16 |
| 8 P.M.–11:59 P.M. | 17 |
|
| |
| Fall Location | |
| Bathroom | 10 |
| Patient’s room | 85 |
| Hall | 2 |
| Other hospital area | 1 |
| Outside hospital | < 1 |
|
| |
| Bed Related | 47 |
|
| |
| Environmental Cause* | 18 |
|
| |
| Physical Restraint | 5 |
|
| |
| Medical Devices | |
| Intravenous line† | 57 |
| Bladder catheter | 17 |
| Feeding tube | 4 |
| Compression stockings | 4 |
| Other devices | 5 |
| Any device | 64 |
|
| |
| Patient Activity at Time of Fall | |
| Unknown | 9 |
| Getting in/out of bed | 45 |
| Rolled out of bed | 3 |
| Getting on/off chair/toilet | 10 |
| Standing (for example, at sink) | 13 |
| Bending/reaching | 8 |
| Walking | 5 |
| Intrinsic event‡ | < 1 |
| Elimination Needs Related | 33 |
*
Identified environmental causes: Tripped, bed/chair not locked, tangled in linen, slipped off mattress.
†
Central or peripheral.
‡
Stroke, pulmonary embolism.