A Study of Patient Falls from Bed

Physical Restraint Use and Falls in Nursing Home Residents

“…Current use of physical restraints is based largely on the assumption that these devices prevent falls and fall‐related injuries. Numerous studies, however, have reported a significant incidence of falls and injuries in restrained older adults 1–7 . In one study of nursing home residents, a positive association was demonstrated between restraint use and fall‐related serious injury after controlling for other risk factors for injury 8 .…”

Preventing Falls in Hospitals

“…Educational prevention programs have often been advocated as increasing caregivers' knowledge of the causes and prevention of falls (Walshe and Rosen 1979;Barbieri 1983). Identification of environmental hazards is also invaluable in reducing falls and in planning effective prevention measures.…”

“…Although the majority of falls occur during the day (Innes and Turman 1983;Sehested and Severin-Nielson 1977), falls from bed usually occur at night (lynn 1980). These falls are often attributed to unstable furniture, improper use of side rails, poorly fitting shoes, glossy floor surfaces, and inadequate lighting (Walshe and Rosen 1979;Barbieri 1983;Sehested and Severin-Nielson 1977).…”

Tying Down the Elderly

“…A British editorial 49 pointed to fear of litigation following patient injury due to falls as the most compelling reason for the increasing use of restraints for elderly patients in the United States. Evidence suggests, however, that risk of injury from falls out of bed increases when restraints are applied 36 , 50 – 59 . In general, the conclusions from most such reports indicate that restraint measures seldom eliminate the risk of injury.…”