Share your Safety Practices Awards Best Practices
Download the ESRD Patient Annotated Bibliography
Patient Safety Improvement Toolkit
Spotlight on safety
Renal Patient Safety Resources
Did you know
Fall Prevention Door-to-Door Did You Know?
>
Fall Prevention Door-to-Door

Download a PDF of this page

- Incorrect Dialyzer or Dialyzing Solution - Non-Adherence to Procedures
- Patient Falls - Hand Hygiene
- Medication Errors    

FACT
SOURCE
If 5% of patients fall in a three-month time period, and there are 304,799 End Stage Renal Disease patients nationwide, this results in an estimated 15,240 patient falls every three months.
Health and Safety Survey to Improve Patient Safety in End Stage Renal Disease, page 18

40% of patients who had fallen cited weakness or dizziness as the reason for their fall.
Health and Safety Survey to Improve Patient Safety in End Stage Renal Disease, page 8

There is a higher hip fracture rate in Caucasian U.S. hemodialysis patients than age, sex, and race matched nonuremic patients.
A. M. Alem, D. J. Sherrard, D. L. Gillen et al., "Increased Risk of Hip Fracture Among Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease," Kidney International 58, no. 1 (2000): 396-399.

In addition to fractures, head injuries, and lesions, falls often result in the patient becoming more cautious about future falls, leading to a reduction in physical activity. This reduction in physical activity leads to deconditioning of the patient, loss of lean tissue, and increased muscle weakness thereby increasing the likelihood of future falls.
C. Desmet et al., "Falls in Hemodialysis Patients: Prospective Study of Incidence, Risk Factors, and Complications," American Journal of Kidney Disease 45, no. 1 (Jan 2005): 148-153. B. Brouwer, K. Musselman, E. Culham, "Physical Function and Health Status Among Seniors With and Without a Fear of Falling," Gerontology 50 no. 3 (May-Jun 2004): 135-141. E. M. Andresen et al., "Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Risk Factors for Falls, Fear of Falling, and Falls Efficacy in a Cohort of Middle-Aged African Americans," Gerontologist 26, no. 2, (April 2006): 249-257.

One in three adults 65 and older falls each year, making it a leading cause of injury deaths for this demographic. B. Korc, S. Stapleton. "Find the Reason, Then Prevent the Fall" American Medical News. December 22, 2008:17-18.

Falls are the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital trauma admissions. B. Korc, S. Stapleton. "Find the Reason, Then Prevent the Fall" American Medical News. December 22, 2008:17-18.

In 2005, 15,800 people died from injuries related to unintentional falls and about 1.8 million were treated in hospital emergency departments. B. Korc, S. Stapleton. "Find the Reason, Then Prevent the Fall" American Medical News. December 22, 2008:17-18.

One in four seniors who breaks a hip stays in a nursing home for at least a year after the injury. B. Korc, S. Stapleton. "Find the Reason, Then Prevent the Fall" American Medical News. December 22, 2008:17-18.

-