Evaluation of Fall Risk Assessment, Intervention, and Falls Outcomes in Older Adult Inpatients at St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny.

INTRODUCTION: Falls represent one of the most significant safety concerns for hospitalized older adults, contributing to increased morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and healthcare costs. This clinical audit evaluated the effectiveness of fall risk assessment and prevention strategies for patients aged 65 years and older admitted to St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, during the audit period.
METHODS: A retrospective clinical audit was conducted examining medical records and incident reports for older adult inpatients at St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny.The audit examined compliance with fall risk screening protocols, implementation of preventive interventions, and fall-related outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 60 patients aged 65 years and older were included in the audit sample. Out of them 50 patients (83.3%) received a documented fall risk assessment within 24 hours of admission and 10 patients (16.7%) did not have timely assessment documentation. 
CONCLUSIONS:  83% of eligible patients received timely fall risk assessments, significant gaps were identified in the documentation and implementation of preventive interventions, with only 57% of at-risk patients having documented interventions. The overall fall rate of 2.5 per 1,000 bed-days falls within acceptable benchmarks, though opportunities for improvement in intervention compliance were identified.