Aims: Inpatient falls remain a common and undesirable complication in geriatric rehabilitation units despite established prevention strategies. This study assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of a daily multidisciplinary team (MDT) falls huddle in reducing inpatient falls.
Methods: A prospective quality assurance study was conducted from February-August 2025 in a geriatric rehabilitation ward. Daily MDT falls huddles were implemented to develop individualised falls prevention action plans for newly admitted patients at high falls risk or those who experienced an inpatient fall. Baseline characteristics were collected via chart review, with comparisons made between fallers and non-fallers. Interrupted time series analysis using segmented regression examined changes in the monthly percentage of falls among all admitted patients before (January-September 2024) and after implementation (January-September 2025). Qualitative feedback from patients and clinicians across disciplines assessed feasibility and acceptability.
Results: During the intervention period, 89 MDT falls discussions were conducted and 29 patients (32.6%) experienced at least one inpatient fall. Fallers were less frail (Clinical Frailty Scale 4 (SD 1) vs 5 (SD 1), p=0.013) and had a longer length of stay (median 41 days (IQR 29-71) vs 32 (IQR 21-47), p=0.021) compared with non-fallers. There was a 9.3% reduction (95% CI -28.8, 10.1) in the monthly percentage of falls following implementation. Patient and clinician feedback demonstrated high feasibility and acceptability.
Conclusions: Daily MDT falls discussions for high-risk patients were feasible and well accepted. While statistical significance was limited by sample size and monthly variability, a trend towards reduced inpatient falls was observed.