The National Audit for Inpatient Falls (NAIF) has released it's annual report for 2021.
The audit has seen an increase in engagement, with 79% of eligible NHS trusts and health boards participating, with an increase in participating mental health and specialist trusts from previous year.
The data examines 1,357 cases of sustained hip fractures due to falls in 2020, and the care given in these cases.
“A hip fracture is one of the most severe consequences of a fall. Evaluating the care given to inpatients who experience such fractures, will likely reflect the quality of fall prevention practice and post-fall management available to all inpatients. Not all falls are avoidable, and it is vital that patients are enabled to be active during their inpatient stay. However, it is equally important that all possible steps are taken to identify and address modifiable falls risk factors.”
Key findings:
- On average, receiving the first dose of pain relief following the fall that caused the hip fracture took 2 hours; NICE Clinical Guidline 124 recommends this should be given immediately
- Delays to hip fracture care are often experienced by patients
- MFRA was was complete in 76% of cases, however poor quality of some MFRA components has been highlighted
- The most common risk factor was assessed in 74% of the cases
Find out more by reading the NAIF Annual Report 2021.