Falls and injury reduction in residential aged care: translating research into practice

Abstract

Falls and falls-related injuries are a major problem in residential aged care. While there are many factors contributing to falls in this group, there are also a number of strategies that can help reduce falls and associated injuries. While programs to prevent falls must be multifactorial and multidisciplinary, nurses in residential aged care will play a central role in setting up and coordinating such programs. This paper reviews a broad range of nursing, medical and allied health literature. It then synthesises the research findings to outline a comprehensive series of recommendations that nurses can use to improve clinical practice in this area.