Fall Prevention

Patients who have undergone surgery or who are taking pain medications may find it difficult to stand, walk or maintain their balance. They also may lose strength or flexibility after being sedentary or experience changes in cognition, memory, vision and hearing, making them more prone to falls.

Moreover, if a patient has a history of falls before entering the hospital, he or she is at an increased risk of falling while in the hospital.

Preventing patients from falling while in the hospital is a priority at UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco. Our falls prevention program is designed to carefully monitor patients at risk for falls and involves everyone on the health care team.

Patient Safety and Quality

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What does UCSF Medical Center do to prevent falls?

Nurses at UCSF Medical Center screen patients for risk of falls when they are admitted, and then twice daily during their hospital stay. If a patient is considered at risk for falls, special measures are taken. These prevention measures include placing patients on special beds with bed alarms, hanging signs that alert caregivers that the patient is at increased risk for falls, and educating patients to use their call lights to ask for assistance when getting out of bed to go to the toilet.

Fall prevention is a team effort. Patients and family members play a key role in preventing falls. Patients and families are educated about the importance of asking health care providers for assistance when getting out of bed or moving from a chair or bathroom to return to bed.

How does UCSF Medical Center measure fall rates?

Fall rates are calculated as the number of falls per 1,000 patient days. UCSF submits falls data to the Collaborative Alliance for Nursing Outcomes and to the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators to determine how we compare against other hospitals in California and the nation.

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Quality of Patient Care

UCSF Health and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco are committed to providing the safest and highest quality care to patients.

Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections

One of the most common infections in the hospital is a catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). These infections can lead to serious complications.

Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections

Central lines, also called central venous catheters, are tubes placed into a patient's large vein, often in the neck, chest, arm or groin. Find more info here.

Hand Hygiene

To protect patients from infection, we require that patient care workers thoroughly clean their hands before and after caring for each patient.

Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries

A pressure injury, sometimes called a bedsore, is a wound in the skin or underlying tissue caused by pressure, friction and moisture. Find more info here.

Patient Experience

UCSF Medical Center has surveyed patients about their care experience for more than 20 years. See how our patients rate us.

Ventilator-Associated Events

Ventilator-associated events (VAEs) are complications or infections, including ventilator-associated pneumonia, caused by the use of a mechanical ventilator.

Fall Prevention

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