Summary of Area of Interest (Section I)

Globally, the occurrence of falls is acknowledged as a serious public health issue. The leading cause of injuries globally is falling, which is a condition that doctors frequently assess. A patient can fall assisted (i.e. when a patient starts to fall and is helped to the ground or other item by another person) or unassisted, which refers to the sudden, unexpected descent of the patient's body to the ground or another object (e.g., onto a bed, chair, or bedside mat). Elderly people are more vulnerable to falls due to two primary factors: a decline in the functional reserves needed to maintain the orthostatic posture, as well as concurrent underlying disease and other factors such as unfavorable pharmacological side effects. The risk of falling, according to Strini et al. (2021), is highest for those over 65: 30% of them experience at least one fall every year, while the numbers rise to nearly 50% for those over 80.

Fall occurrences while inpatient has become a major concern as most patients already have many comorbidities and are at much higher risk for falling due to multiple factors. This, adds further complications to their already in-place treatment and possibly extends their length of stay at the

hospital, not to mention the risk of mortality that it carries.

Problem Statement (Section I)

The chance of a patient falling has a strong correlation with major injuries, including death. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2022) considers falls as a high-risk, significant public health issue

and the second-leading cause of accidental fatalities. The older population, defined as those aged 60

and over, is known to have higher rates.

Problem Background (Section I)

In order to safeguard patient safety, nurses work to reduce the risk of falls and the harm they might cause. For the elderly population, fall-related injuries are a major health concern. Therefore, by determining fall risk factors and creating patient-specific fall prevention measures, nurses significantly improve patient safety. These fall prevention strategies aid in lowering the risk of falls and preventing injuries associated with them. Unfortunately, falls are the most prevalent cause of nonfatal injuries and the main cause of injury mortality in people aged 65 and over (Quigley et al., 2017).

Stakeholders (Section I)

The stakeholders recognized for this project include patients, family members, physical therapists, occupational therapists, transport personnel, physicians, pharmacists, patient care technicians, nurse assistants, Registered Nurses, Charge nurses, and management.