Patient safety

How to prevent falls in the hospital

Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.

Nursing (NCLEX)
Practice it in VR with Blocky

Falls in the hospital cause fractures, head injuries and longer stays. Most are preventable with a risk check and a few simple habits.

Step by step

  1. Assess fall risk

    Use your unit's tool on admission, after any change and after a fall. Look at past falls, confusion, weakness and medications. [1]

  2. Make the room safe

    Bed low and locked, call light and personal items in reach, clear path and good lighting. [2]

  3. Use proper footwear

    Nonslip socks or shoes when walking. Check that walking aids fit and are close. [3]

  4. Plan toileting

    Offer help to the bathroom on a regular schedule. Many falls happen on the way to the toilet. [2]

  5. Review medications

    Flag sedatives, opioids and blood pressure medicines that cause dizziness, and discuss changes with the prescriber. [3]

  6. Hourly rounding

    Check on pain, position, toileting and possessions on a regular schedule. [2]

  7. Teach and reassess

    Explain to the patient and family why to call before getting up. Update the plan when the condition changes. [4]

Common errors

Practice it in VMS

In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.

VMS cases that train this skill

33 VMS cases train this skill: open the case library

Sources

  1. The Joint Commission, National Patient Safety Goals
  2. Open RN, Nursing Fundamentals 2e (CC BY 4.0)
  3. CDC STEADI (falls in older adults)
  4. AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (Teach-Back)

Facts and steps follow The Joint Commission, National Patient Safety Goals. VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.