Unfortunately, falls occur all too frequently in hospitals and can be devastating to the patient and his family. Even one fall can cause a person to develop a life-long fear of falling and to experience a downward spiral of increased risk of falling, reduced mobility, and loss of functional abilities.
Seniors are especially vulnerable for being seriously injured or dying as a result of complications caused by a fall. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, one-third of patients aged 65 or older fall in hospitals annually, and 30 percent of these falls result in serious injuries.
Five Causes of Hospital Falls
Falls at hospitals happen for a variety of reasons. While some are caused by patients getting out of bed without assistance, many result from hospital negligence that is preventable. Common reasons patients fall include:
- Bed alarms. Bed alarms are essential to notify hospital staff if at-risk patients try to get out of bed on their own. When busy nurses and aids forget to reset the alarm, a patient can fall.
- Medications. If a patient is taking certain medications like antidepressants or sedatives, he can experience dizziness, confusion, or difficulties with mobility that make him a greater fall risk and increases his need for medical supervision that he may not get.
- Insufficient evaluation. Hospital staff must do an assessment to determine if a patient is at high risk of falling due to medications, his medical condition, or treatments he is receiving. When a patient is not evaluated correctly, hospital staff fails to recognize warning signs or to take preventative measures to reduce his risk of falling.
- Late response for help. When hospitals are short-staffed, patients are forced to wait longer for help getting out of bed—often to go to the restroom. Patients who are upset or who cannot wait to use the restroom could resort to getting out of bed themselves—with disastrous results if they slip and fall or trip over their IV or other medical equipment cords around their bed.
- Slippery floors. Floors can become slippery just from all the cleaning done at hospitals to maintain a safe and sterile environment. When spills of water, food, and liquid medications that are not cleaned up promptly, patients—and their family and friends—may fall.
You could suffer broken bones, serious hip fracture, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or complications of your medical condition if you fall while at a hospital. However, you could be entitled to compensation from the hospital for your medical expenses and more. Fill out our online form to schedule a free consultation to learn how our experienced legal team can assist you.