Patient falls prevention

Falls can happen easily if you are unwell, taking new medicines, or in an unfamiliar place. We will talk to you about how we can reduce your risk of falls.

What you can do

Be aware that you may need more assistance than usual to move around.
Use the call bell to ask for assistance when you need to move.
Get to know the layout of your hospital room.
Keep glasses and walking aids within easy reach.
Let us know if you feel unsteady, unbalanced or notice changes in the way you usually move.

What St John of God Health Care does

We work with our patients to reduce their risk of falling in hospital.
We assess your risk of falling and create a plan to prevent falls.
We have policies and procedures to reduce the risk of patient falls.
We train our caregivers to help reduce patient falls.
We report and monitor falls so we can reduce similar incidents in the future.

Often, patients do not want to ask nurses for help because they are busy people. You may also feel less in control when you are in hospital.

Our caregivers are always here to help.

Research shows that recovery can be quicker and more effective when you allow hospital staff to help you.

Always ask for help if you need it. Use your call bell for help getting out of bed, out of a chair, going to the bathroom or moving around.

For more information on how you can prevent falls visit the Injury Matters website. The Stay On Your Feet® falls prevention program also has helpful resources.

Learn more:

St John of God Geelong Hospital's patient falls data

$Line graph showing rate of patient falls resulting in fracture or closed head injury at St John of God Geelong Hospital. Vertical axis reports rate of falls related injuries per 10,000 bed days, ranging from 0.0 to 10.0. Horizontal axis reports periods from quarter 2, 2022 to quarter 2, 2023. Dotted line shows the national benchmark is 1.0 falls. Scores display as 2.3, 1.6, 1.1, 0.0, 0.0$

$Bar graph showing number of patient falls resulting in fracture or closed head injury at St John of God Geelong Hospital. Vertical axis reports number of patients with falls related injury, ranging from 0 to 15. Horizontal axis reports periods from quarter 2, 2022 to quarter 2, 2023. Scores display as 4, 3, 2, 0, 0$

About St John of God Geelong Hospital's patient falls data

Our most recent results for patient falls prevention have improved. This is because of targeted initiatives that include:

patient and caregiver education
ensuring appropriate patient screening is conducted
ensuring individual patient management plans are completed, updated and patient centred.

St John of God Health Care uses the Australian Council on Health Care Standards (ACHS) falls definition to record the number and type of patient falls in hospital.

The graphs show the number of falls which resulted in a fracture and/or a closed head injury during an inpatient hospital stay. The numbers are divided by the total number of days that all patients stayed at the hospital during the three-month period.

The first graph shows the rate of these injuries, calculated per 10,000 inpatient bed days.

The second graph shows the number of patients who sustained a fracture and/or a closed head injury as a result of a fall during a hospital stay.

St John of God Health Care uses the benchmark set by the Australian Council on Health Care Standards (ACHS).

The benchmark is 1.0 falls per 10,000 patient bed days.

A rate below the Australian Council on Health Care Standards (ACHS) benchmark is better. Hospitals strive to achieve a rate of 1.0 or less.

Our quality and safety activities