Patient Falls in Seclusion Rooms in Psychiatric Inpatient Care: A Sociotechnical Probabilistic Risk Modeling Study

ABSTRACT Background: Patient falls are a major adverse event in psychiatric inpatient care. Purpose: To model the risk for patient falls in seclusion rooms in psychiatric inpatient care.

Methods: Sociotechnical probabilistic risk assessment (ST-PRA) was used to model the risk for falls. Data sources were the research team, literature review, and exploration groups of psychiatric nurses. Data were analyzed with fault tree analysis.

Results: The risk for a patient fall in a seclusion room was 1.8%. Critical paths included diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder, the mechanism of falls, failure to assess and prevent falls, and psychological or physical reason. The most significant individual risk factor for falls was diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Conclusions: Falls that occur in seclusion events are associated with physical and psychological risk factors. Therefore, risk assessment methods and fall prevention interventions considering patient behavioral disturbance and physiological risk factors in seclusion are warranted.