Interventions to prevent patient falls in hospitals don't work, an Australian study has found.
The world's largest trial involved a cluster randomised control study involving 31,411 patients in 24 acute wards in six Australian hospitals between 2012 and 2013.
The study was published in the British Medical Journal.
"Our findings raise questions about the expenditure of staff time on the delivery of interventions that have been shown to be ineffective," said lead researcher Professor Anna Barker from Monash University.
"Falls are one of the largest causes of patient harm in Australian hospitals, with more than 30,000 falls recorded in 2013-14 - they are a national safety and quality priority."
The research involved testing the nurse-led 6-PACK program which involves completing a fall-risk tool and implementing one or more of six interventions.
They are - a falls alert sign; supervision of patients in the bathroom; ensuring patients' walking aids are within reach; a toileting regime; use of a low-low bed; and use of a bed/chair alarm.
The study found the interventions had no effect on falls or fall injuries compared with usual care.
Falls remain a frequent and substantial source of harm for patients in acute hospitals.
"The study indicates an absence of high-quality evidence that falls can be prevented in acute wards," Prof Barker said.
"Solutions to the issue of in-hospital falls, the most frequent patient safety incident in hospitals, are urgently required."
Falls can lead to fractures and increased staff stress and workload, healthcare costs and length of time in hospital.
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