Inpatient Care

At a glance

CDC developed CDC STEADI: Best Practices for Developing an Inpatient Program to Prevent Older Adult Falls after Discharge. The purpose of the guide is to help hospitals integrate fall prevention programs into clinical practice. View our Best Practices guide, fact sheet and additional resources below.

Overview

White female doctor with brown hair in a low ponytail with Black older adult patient looking at a tablet.
Doctor with older adult patient looking at a tablet.

During a hospital stay, older adults often experience decreased mobility while confined to their rooms or beds.12 This may increase the risk of functional decline, poor functional outcomes after discharge, and hospital readmissions.2 Older adults who have had a hospital stay are more likely to experience a fall in the first month after discharge compared to those who have not been hospitalized. Hospitals can help prevent falls by incorporating a fall prevention program into their routine clinical practice.

Inpatient Best Practices Guide

The CDC STEADI: Best Practices for Developing an Inpatient Program to Prevent Older Adult Falls after Discharge [39 pages] guide is designed to help inpatient teams integrate a fall prevention program into their existing workflow and clinical practice. The guide includes 10 practical steps informed by research findings and provider experiences to:

  • Decrease patient falls during and after hospital stays
  • Promote better collaboration with external providers for post-discharge care
  • Improve hospital processes and records
  • Identify and manage medications that increase patient fall risk
CDC STEADI: Best Practices for Developing an Inpatient Program to Prevent Older Adult Falls after Discharge
Inpatient Best Practices Guide

Inpatient Best Practices Fact Sheet

STEADI Fact Sheet: Prevent Older Adult Falls During and After Hospital Stays
Inpatient Best Practices Fact Sheet

Inpatient Best Practices Fact Sheet [2 pages]

CDC resources

External resources

Print
Content Source:
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
  1. Babine RL, Hyrkas KE, McKenzie CG, Wierman HR. Mobilizing Older Adults: A Multi-site, Exploratory and Observational Study on Patients Enrolled in the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP). Geriatric Nursing. 2019;40(3):239–245.
  2. Zisberg A, Shadmi E, Gur-Yaish N, et al. Hospital-Associated Functional Decline: The Role of Hospitalization Processes Beyond Individual Risk Factors. Journal of the American Geriatric Society. 2015;63(1):55–62.
  • Mahoney JE, Palta M, Johnson J, et al. Temporal Association Between Hospitalization and Rate of Falls After Discharge. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160(18):2788–2795. doi:10.1001/archinte.160.18.2788