falls risk assessment
A structured evaluation identifying patient-specific intrinsic and extrinsic factors that increase the likelihood of a fall, mandatory on admission to geriatric rehabilitation settings.
Full Definition
Falls risk assessments in geriatric rehabilitation use validated tools — such as the Morse Fall Scale or the St Thomas's Risk Assessment Tool in Falling Elderly Inpatients (STRATIFY) — to quantify a patient's probability of falling and to guide individualised prevention strategies. The assessment addresses intrinsic factors (balance, cognition, vision, medication) and extrinsic factors (environment, footwear, equipment). Regulatory and accreditation bodies in most jurisdictions require documented falls risk assessments on admission, after falls events, and at regular intervals. Editors should note that 'falls risk assessment' and 'falls prevention programme' are distinct: the former is a diagnostic evaluation; the latter is the resulting intervention plan. 'Falls risk' is used as an open compound noun, not hyphenated.
Usage
Usage note: In Australian and UK English, prefer 'falls risk assessment' (plural 'falls'). American clinical English often uses 'fall risk assessment' (singular). Check house style. Do not conflate with the resulting prevention plan.
In Context
- "A falls risk assessment was completed within four hours of admission, with the patient scoring high risk on the Morse Fall Scale due to impaired gait and recent fall history." — Inpatient admission assessment form
- "The quality team reviewed falls risk assessment completion rates, finding that 12% of patients did not have a documented assessment within the required timeframe." — Clinical governance audit report