Managing Falls in High-Risk Groups

Course Overview

Falls are widely understood and recognised as a significant clinical risk area. Managing falls in high-risk groups is essential to assist in the prevention of injury and serious harm. This Course covers falls prevention education in relation to paediatrics, midwifery, medical conditions and the effects of drugs and alcohol.

Topics

• What are age-appropriate screening tools?
• Who is considered a high-falls risk?
• What strategies can assist in preventing falls?

Need

There is limited research available on falls in younger age groups, however, the impact of falls on younger people can be significant in terms of long-term disability. Falls are seen as a major public health problem and it is essential that as healthcare professionals we uphold our duty of care to ensure that all of our patients are safe by understanding the risks associated with falls.

Purpose

Provide falls risk education relevant to high-risk groups to enable health professionals to consider falls prevention holistically.

Learning Outcomes

• Apply appropriate assessment and screening tools to your practice to help reduce harm from falls in at-risk groups.
• Identify falls risk factors to improve the implementation of preventative strategies when caring for high-risk individuals.
• Improve your awareness of the falls management plan and the importance of tailoring it to the individual.

Target Audience

All healthcare professionals and care workers working with people who are at a high risk of falling.

Disclosure

No conflict of interest exists for anyone in a position to control content for this activity. Wherever possible, generic or non-proprietary names of medications or products have been used.

Educator

Diana Clayton

Diana Clayton is a clinical nurse consultant who works for Peninsula Health in the falls prevention service. She initially set up the inpatient falls prevention program and currently oversees the program in the subacute and residential care settings. She has been in her current role for 13 years and has presented at a number of conferences over that time. She is a passionate advocate for falls prevention across the whole health spectrum. See Educator Profile