Fall prevention in our healthiest patients: assessing risk and preventing injury for moms and babies.

Abstract

Attention is needed in preventing patient falls in newborns and in obstetric units of hospitals. The majority of prenatal, postpartum, and newborn falls are preventable. Little effort has been made to address fall risk during the prenatal period, during labor, and after delivery in the postpartum period for moms and babies. Risk factors for falls in these populations have been identified, and targeted risk assessments and fall prevention interventions have been developed to eliminate these falls. Evidence demonstrates success in reducing falls with a variety of low-cost but high-return initiatives, comprising prenatal education, patient and family engagement, implementation of unique fall risk assessment tools, postpartum mobility assessments, and changes in patient rounding frequency.