AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To describe the nature of falls in an inpatient @entity131 rehabilitation setting. BACKGROUND: Falls are the most frequently recorded @entity1 safety incident in the inpatient context. However, higher rates of falls are reported in rehabilitation settings compared to acute care settings. In the rehabilitation setting, @entity1 with a @entity131 have been identified as at a high risk of falling. However to date, research into the nature of falls involving this @entity1 population is limited. DESIGN: Five-year retrospective cohort study design. METHODS: Falls data from an inpatient @entity131 rehabilitation unit were retrieved from the NSW Ministry of Health Incident Information Management System and @entity1 clinical notes; nursing shift data were retrieved from the local rostering system. RESULTS: The fall rate was 5  18 per 1000 @entity1 bed days. Over a 24-hour period falls (n  =  103) occurred in a trimodal pattern. The median fall free period after admission was 14  days and 22% of @entity131 @entity1 had at least one fall. 53% of falls occurred in the @entity1 's bedroom and 57% were attributed to loss of balance. At time of fall, 93% of fallers had @entity73 and 85% required assistance for transfers. CONCLUSION: Falls within inpatient @entity131 rehabilitation are a significant and complex clinical issue. While many @entity1 continued to be at risk of falling several months after admission, a repeat faller's first fall occurred earlier in their admission than a single faller's. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Generic falls prevention measures are insufficient for preventing falls in the @entity1545 rehabilitation population. Falls prevention initiatives should target times of high @entity1 activity and situations where there is decreased nursing capacity to observe @entity1 . Rehabilitation clinicians need to be mindful that a @entity1 's risk of falling is not static and in fact, may increase over time.

The characteristics of falls in an inpatient XXXX rehabilitation setting.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient'] @entity73 :: ('MESH:D003072', 'Disease') :: ['impaired mobility'] @entity131 :: ('MESH:D001930', 'Disease') :: ['traumatic brain injury'] @entity1545 :: ('MESH:D020214', 'Disease') :: ['brain injury']
@entity131 :: (MESH:D001930,Disease) :: ['traumatic brain injury']
