Original Research: What Health Care Staff Who Experienced Assisted Patient Falls Can Teach Us: Implications for Fall and Fall Injury Risk

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose: This quality improvement project had three aims: to identify common assisted falls scenarios, describe staff members' experiences with and risk perceptions of such falls, and explore factors that influenced their perceptions. The overarching goal was to gain useful insight for the development of assisted fall–related strategies and policies. Methods: In the fall of 2020, 16 staff members from 13 health care facilities were purposively recruited and interviewed. Transcript summaries of these interviews, along with secondary narrative data from employee and patient injury databases, were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Results: According to staff members' accounts, assisted falls most commonly took place in patient rooms or bathrooms when patients were ambulating or transferring. The interviewees described assisting falls by grabbing or holding the patient or by using their own body to brace or steady the patient. Interview and secondary narrative data noted various injuries that occurred during assisted fall events. These injuries most often involved the lower back (among staff) and the legs (among patients). Most interviewees perceived that using proper body mechanics would prevent injury. Conclusions: Interviewees' experiences with assisted falls indicate areas of improvement for fall prevention. The perception that using proper body mechanics will protect staff from injury may be a misconception. Although the literature reports mixed findings concerning whether staff should assist patient falls, this project's results led us to conclude that there is no safe way to physically assist a falling patient without risk of staff injury.