What is it about?
Patient falls in hospitals remain one of the most common safety incidents. Most fall risk tools focus on identifying patients who are generally at risk, but they may miss sudden changes that happen shortly before a fall. This work introduces the FARIS framework (Fall-Associated Risk and Instability Screening), a simple bedside screening approach designed to detect immediate instability triggers that may occur during hospitalization. FARIS focuses on three types of triggers: medication or medical intervention changes, new symptoms of instability, and urgent mobilization related to toileting. By identifying these early warning signs in real time, FARIS aims to help nurses recognize the moment when a patient’s condition becomes unstable and implement fall-prevention precautions before a fall occurs.
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Why is it important?
Many existing fall risk tools identify baseline risk but may not capture sudden instability that develops during the hospital stay. This gap can leave clinicians without a clear way to detect the critical moment before a fall happens. The FARIS framework addresses this gap by providing a dynamic screening layer that can be used alongside existing fall risk assessment tools. By focusing on real-time instability triggers, FARIS may help healthcare teams identify patients whose condition has suddenly changed and activate fall-prevention interventions earlier, potentially reducing preventable inpatient falls.
Perspectives
During my work in patient safety and nursing quality, I observed that many inpatient falls were preceded by subtle changes such as dizziness, medication adjustments, or urgent mobilization. These changes were often noticed by nurses but not systematically captured by existing fall risk tools. This observation led to the development of the FARIS framework, a simple screening approach designed to help identify real-time instability triggers and support earlier fall prevention interventions.
Ms. Awatif Omar Alhawsawi
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Moment Before the Fall: A Dynamic Instability Screening Framework for Inpatient Fall Prevention (<b>FARIS</b>), January 2026, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.6336758.
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