In hospitals and nursing homes across the country, many falls occur during nursing shift changes. The majority of falls occur to patients who are already identified as being at fall risk; those with poor mobility (e.g., gait/balance impairment) and cognitive impairment. The reason for falling? During shift changes, patients are generally left alone and without the supervision, monitoring and care they need. These mishaps create a tremendous liability for management. Key strategies to eliminate falls during shift changes include:

• Provide nurse rounding of high-risk patients during shift changes.
• Discussing high fall risk patients during shift change handoffs.
• Promoting communication between nursing staff, which includes addressing the patient’s:
• Identified fall risk factors
• Current risk condition /fall precautions
• Current fall management care plan

Utilizing fall alarms during shift changes as a safety measure; alarms detect unsafe patient activity/send a signal to nurses that patient’s are engaging in unsafe behavior.