Characteristics of Inpatients With Blood Cancers Who Experience a Fall: A Retrospective Study

Background: Inpatients with cancer are at the greatest risk for falling. Although studies have identified the characteristics of patients with cancer who fall, few studies have focused on the characteristics of patients with blood cancers who fall.

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to identify characteristics of inpatients with blood cancers who fall and implement fall-mitigation efforts through an enhanced assessment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Methods: Descriptive design and retrospective review of 51 patient falls were used to identify characteristics of inpatients with cancer who fell.

Findings: The majority of patients who fell were male (n = 33), and most falls occurred during the day shift (n = 24). Few patients were listed on the Morse Fall Risk Scale for mental status and forgetting limitations (n = 7), and most were not identified as a high fall risk (n = 30). The majority of falls were associated with toileting needs (n = 32). Patients spent a mean of 12.73 days in the hospital before falling. Thirty-two patients received chemotherapy prior to their fall, 25 of whom received neurotoxic chemotherapy.