Project Members: Patricia C. Dykes, Blackford Middleton, Diane L. Carroll, Ann Hurley, Lana Tsurikova, Jan Horsky, Stuart Lipsitz, Lyubov Zuyev, Frank Chang, Angie Benoit, Seth Meltzer and Christine A. Caligtan

Falls are the most common cause of injury in older adults. The experience of being hospitalized puts adults at further risk for falls because of illness and the newness of the hospital environment. Unfamiliar surroundings, medications and treatments given in the hospital setting along with decrease in activity level, can cause patients to become mentally confused, weak and unsteady. Even patients who were active and independent at home may require assistance to safely complete simple activities while they are in the hospital, such as such as getting out of bed or using the bathroom.

The first step to preventing falls is learning about what causes falls, both in the hospital and at home. When in the hospital, it is also important for patients and family members to know how they can work with nurses and other caregivers to prevent falls. When patients are discharged home, there are steps that they can take to prevent falls.

Our research team of nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study how the healthcare team can better work with patients and family members to prevent falls in hospitals. The Fall TIPS (Tailoring Interventions for Patient Safety) study aims to prevent patient falls by identifying better ways to communicate information about the risk for falls and to work with patients and family members to put a plan in place to prevent falls in hospitals.