Fall Prevention: Guidance on Utilizing Fall Alarms - Online Inservice

Course overview

Fall alarms serve as an "early warning system"; they alert nursing staff when "fall risk" patients are engaging in activities that are likely to result in falls. Fall alarms can play a vital role in helping staff to prevent falls. However, the inappropriate selection and/or misuse of fall alarms may actually predispose patients to falls and injuries. The purpose of this course is to provide hospitals and long-term care facilities with guidance on the appropriate utilization of fall alarms in reducing fall risk. The term "patient" is used to refer to both acute hospital patients and long-term care residents.