Falls and Fractures


It’s hard to believe a patient can fall while in a calm, quiet place for rest, but certain medical conditions and most hospital environments are, unfortunately, conducive to falls.

Acute confusion — which can lead to falls (including falling out of bed) can be caused by any number of fairly common medical conditions: certain medications, infections, fever, dehydration, head trauma, multiple room changes, inadequate pain management and altered sleep/wake cycles.


Falls account for 70% of patient accidents and fall-related injuries cost the U.S. health care system about $1.9 billion every year. When you know what the risk factors are, they can also be prevented with some common-sense simple precautions.

Other serious hospital acquired injuries, and some deaths, are caused by restraints. (In 40% of death cases, the patient chokes and is unable to get free.)  

Injuries from falls and restraints result in bone fractures and dislocations, burns, and brain injuries. It’s understandable why they typically extend a patient’s hospital stay by nearly 10 days.


We have some simple solutions to prevent falls.

For further reading on preventing patient falls, visit this helpful page from the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging.


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