Preventing Newborn Falls and Improving Care for Postpartum Women and Their Newborns.

Abstract

In their article, “Newborn Falls in a Large Tertiary Academic Center Over 13 Years,” Loyal et al1 report a retrospective review of newborn falls at a hospital birthing facility over a period of >10 years. This study is important because it reveals a problem that has recently garnered attention from The Joint Commission as being one that is not sufficiently understood.2 Birth is the most common reason for hospitalization in the United States, and although newborn falls are uncommon, it is a serious adverse event for patients, parents, and hospital staff when they do occur. Falls among hospitalized adults are ∼10- to 20-fold more common than falls among newborns, with the former having an occurrence rate of 3.56 falls per 1000 patient days, according to the authors of a recent study.3 In the study reported in this issue, the authors found a fall rate of 4.6 falls per 10 000 live births, or ∼2 falls per 10 000 patient days. Although the rate of infant falls during postpartum hospitalization is comparatively small, anyone who has experienced a newborn fall is well aware of the distress and potential harm that are caused when this does occur. We as clinicians and hospital administrators want to implement every step …