Fall Policy Term Definition

An unplanned descent to the floor with or without injury to the patient. Include falls when a patient lands on a surface where you wouldn’t expect to find a patient. All types of falls are included, whether they result from physiological reasons (fainting) or environmental reasons (slippery floor), or assisted falls, when another person attempts to minimize the impact of the fall by assisting the patient’s descent to the floor. Also report patient that roll off a low bed onto a mat as a fall.” (NDNQI February 2012)