How do you control a falling patient?

Answer 1

The first rule is safety. So a patient should not have a falling incident if safety precautions were taken to begin with. Safety applies to both patient and worker.

The second rule is also safety. But, during the actual falling incident, now worker safety can be even more compromised.

As much as health workers don't want patients to fall, there are also more risks in trying to stop the fall, especially since there is usually little time to prepare for an accident / incident.

Above all, practice employee body mechanics regularly so your body will naturally assume good body mechanics during a falling incident. Good body mechanics include standing with feet apart (using a wide stance), bending at the knees, keeping objects/patients close to the body, avoid bending and lifting with your back, lift primarily using your thighs during a lift, etc. Review "good body mechanics" which you might find on the internet.

Also, review the use of "Gait Belts" to use with unsteady patients.

When a patient is already falling...

Get as close to the patient's body as possible, and stand with a wide stance. If possible, get your arms under the patient's arms. If not, do a bear hug around the chest/upper body. If possible, it's easier from the patient's back-- but that's not always an attainable position during an emergency. Important: Make sure the patient does not push you backwards or make you off-balance. If there is no furniture nearby, gently lower the person to the floor. If there's a chair, pivot or lower the patient into a chair. Make sure to give clear directions to the patient at each part of your assistance. For example: "Mrs. M, I'm here (as you wrap your arms around the person). Keep your arms down; I've got you. (As you gain more control over the fall...) Just stand and get your balance... Lean against me if you need to..."

AGAIN, it may sometimes be unavoidable that the patient continues the fall. For example, you want to avoid grabbing one hand or arm-- first, you can dislocate or sprain a patient's joint or your own, and second, grabbing an arm or hand still does not control or prevent the fall.

If you can't intervene and the patient has completed the fall, be certain to assess the patient before any attempt is made to get the person up. If the assessment shows a concern (head trauma, broken bone), it's better to leave the patient down on the floor, get help, and then decide on appropriate action. For example, it might be best to do a blanket lift from the floor with 4-person assist. Or, the patient may need an ambulance.

After any fall, assess the environment to see if something precipitated the fall. For example: Shoes untied; slippery bottoms of slippers; bedclothing draped off the bed to the floor; wet floor; too much wax/polish on floor tiles, etc. Clean up spills; remove or fix any hazards.

Lastly, follow your employer's policies about Incident Reporting. Make sure to completely document the facts in the Incident Report.