Effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions in preventing fallsin hospitalized patients: Umbrella review

Introduction. Falls in patients are an unintentional effect of hospitalisation. The number of documented falls has been decreasing and they constitute a substantial part of adverse events reported in hospitals. By analysing non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors, medical staff may contribute to the reduction of the number of falls in patients. Studies describe prevention methods available in clinical practices. Aim. The purpose of this study is to review tools used by medical staff to assess the risk of falling and find out non-pharmacological forms of intervention to be implemented in order to prevent falls. Method. The literature review was commenced in the last quarter of 2023. The study includes articles from such databases like: PubMed, OVID, Web of Science, EBSCO and Epistemonikos in English, which met PICO’s criteria. Articles published between the years 2019-2024 were included in the further analysis. Conclusion. Methods of preventing falls may effectively contribute to shortening the period of hospitalisation. It is necessary to continue studies on tools used to assess the fall risk in order to make them effective and adjusted to a greater number of diseases or the specific character of certain hospital wards. Keywords: prevention, falls, patient, fall detection