Institute for Continuing Education

Preventing Slips and Falls

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Describe the scope, epidemiology, and clinical and financial consequences of patient slips and falls in the acute and post-acute care setting;
• Differentiate intrinsic and extrinsic fall-risk factors and explain how respiratory disease, therapies, and equipment contribute to a patient's risk of falling;
• Identify the high-risk environments, patient populations, and clinical situations that the respiratory therapist routinely encounters;
• Explain the distinctive fall hazards introduced by respiratory equipment — including oxygen tubing, portable cylinders, ventilator circuits, and the ambulation of tethered patients — and describe strategies to mitigate each; and
• Apply evidence-based, interprofessional prevention strategies, validated risk-assessment tools, and sound post-fall management principles to reduce the occurrence and severity of falls.

Course Information