The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7441 p236
3 March 2007

This article
Reprint   Photocopy

  Acrobat Reader

News summary

NPSA issues guidance on prevention of falls

NHS organisations should establish falls prevention groups that can act on both clinical and environmental factors, the National Patient Safety Agency recommends in its third Patient Safety Observatory report (PDF 850K).

The authors of the report, which describes the causes and circumstances of falls and sets out what can be done to prevent them, say that there is little evidence that, on their own, either a review of medication or the recommendation to take exercise can reduce falls. However, they suggest that these approaches may be effective as part of multifaceted interventions. They also recommend that pharmacists are included in teams charged with developing interventions to reduce falls.

The NPSA recommends that the circumstances of falls are described completely on local incident forms and that reports are analysed so that contributing factors can be identified. NHS organisations should also develop guidance for staff on how to care for and treat patients who have fallen.