Rajendra Kumar Sahu Nurse B cum Nurse Educator, Department of Nursing Service and Education, Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Cancer Centre, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Avadhesh Kumar Yadav Nursing Officer C cum In-charge Operation Theatre, Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Cancer Centre, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Ramavath Surendra Naik Nursing Officer B, Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Cancer Centre, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Address for correspondence: Rajendra Kumar Sahu, Nurse B cum Nurse Educator, Department of Nursing Service and Education, Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Cancer Centre, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India E-mail: gloriousdhamtari@gmail.com
This license enables
reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium
or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is
given to the creator.
Journal of Emergency and Trauma Nursing
7(1):p 18-23, January - June 2026. | DOI: NA
How Cite This Article:
Rajendra Kumar Sahu, Avadhesh Kumar Yadav, Ramavath Surendra Naik. Fall Risk Assessment and Management: Nursing Role and Responsibilities. 2025; 7(1): 18–23.
Timeline
Received : April 14, 2026
Accepted : May 17, 2026
Published : June 30, 2026
Abstract
Falls are a major patient safety concern across healthcare settings, particularly among older adults and hospitalized patients. They contribute significantly to morbidity, mortality, prolonged hospital stays, and increased healthcare costs. Effective fall risk assessment and management require a systematic, multidisciplinary approach in which nurses play a central role. This review explores the epidemiology of falls, risk factors, validated assessment tools, prevention strategies, and comprehensive nursing responsibilities in fall prevention programs.
References
1. L. C. Fall and Injury Prevention. In RG H. Patient Safety and Quality: An EvidenceBased Handbook for Nurses.: Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2008.
2. World Health Organization. World Health Organization. [Online].; 2021 [cited 2026 March 31. Available from: https://www.who. int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/falls.
3. Appeadu MK BB. StatPearls. [Online].; 2023 [cited 2026 March 31. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/ NBK560761/?utm_source.
4. Oda S TKTCHSTSOT. Risk factors for falls in patients treated with chemotherapy. J Pharm Health Care Sci. 2025 October 27; 11(1).
5. Zhao J WGCLYSLW. Risk factors for falls in hospitalized patients with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs.. 2022 June 29; 9(8).
6. Morris ME WKJCea. Interventions to reduce falls in hospitals: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Age Ageing. 2022; 51(5).
7. CDC. Older Adult Falls Data. [Online].; 2026 [cited 2026 March 31. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/falls/data-research/ index.html.
8. Prevention, Institute of Medicine (US) Division of Health Promotion and Disease. Falls in Older Persons: Risk Factors and Prevention. In Berg RL CJ. The Second Fifty Years: Promoting Health and Preventing Disability. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1992.
9. Morse JM, MRM, & TSJ. Development of a scale to identify the fall-prone patient. Canadian Journal on Aging. 1989; 8(4): p. 366–377.
10. Hendrich AL BPNA. Validation of the Hendrich II Fall Risk Model: a large concurrent case/control study of hospitalized patients. Appl Nurs Res. 2003; 16(1): p. 9-21.
11. Podsiadlo D RS. The timed “Up & Go”: a test of basic functional mobility for frail elderly persons. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1991; 39(2): p. 142-148.
12. Oliver D BMSPMFHA. Development and evaluation of evidence based risk assessment tool (STRATIFY) to predict which elderly inpatients will fall: case-control and cohort studies.. BMJ.. 1997; 315(7115): p. 1049-1053.
13. Berg KO WDSWJMB. Measuring balance in the elderly: validation of an instrument. Can J Public Health. 1992; 83(Suppl 2:S7-S11.).
14. Poe SS CMGDRBJT. An evidence-based approach to fall risk assessment, prevention, and management: lessons learned. J Nurs Care Qual. 2005; 20(2): p. 107-118.
15. ME. T. Performance-oriented assessment of mobility problems in elderly patients. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1986; 34(2): p. 119-126.
16. Hill-Rodriguez D MPWPea. The Humpty Dumpty Falls Scale: a case-control study.. J Spec Pediatr Nurs. 2009; 14(1): p. 22-32.
17. Kim EJ LJKGMJ. An electronic medical recordbased fall risk assessment tool for pediatric inpatients in South Korea: Improved sensitivity and specificity. Child Health Nurs Res. 2021; 27(2): p. 137-145.
18. Razmus I DD. The epidemiology of falls in hospitalized children. Pediatr Nurs. 2012; 38(1): p. 31-35. x
Data Sharing Statement
There are no additional data available. All raw data and code are available upon request.
Funding
This research received no funding.
Author Contributions
All authors contributed significantly to the work and approve its publication.
Ethics Declaration
This article does not involve any human or animal subjects, and therefore does not require ethics approval.
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to the patients, their families, and all those who have contributed to this study.
Conflicts of Interest
No conflicts of interest in this work.
About this article
Cite this article
Rajendra Kumar Sahu, Avadhesh Kumar Yadav, Ramavath Surendra Naik. Fall Risk Assessment and Management: Nursing Role and Responsibilities. 2025; 7(1): 18–23.
This license enables
reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium
or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is
given to the creator.
This license enables
reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium
or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is
given to the creator.