New findings from patient safety organization ECRI show that patient transfers were associated with 45.3% of all reported falls, emphasizing the safety challenges that can occur during routine patient movement.
The analysis, conducted by ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication, analyzed 71,456 fall-related patient safety events reported in 2025. Patient transfers, toileting and ambulation accounted for more than 85% of reported falls. Toileting-related falls represented 30.7% of incidents, while ambulation-related falls made up 9.4%.
The data also challenge the perception that falls primarily affect older adults. Almost 30% of reported falls happened to patients aged 18 to 64, the largest age group represented in the analysis. These findings illustrate the importance of applying fall prevention and risk assessment measures across all patient populations, particularly in acute care settings.
In this informative article, "Data analysis by ECRI on patient falls reveals common risk factors", ECRI also includes three recommendations to prevent patient falls.
Education Available
To help our insureds prevent patient falls, LAMMICO offers these complimentary online education courses:
- "Falls Prevention for All Hospital Staff"
- "Falls Prevention for Nurses" **
- "Falls Prevention for Nursing Assistants"
** CNE may apply. See details on registration webpage.
To access, LAMMICO-insured hospital and facility users can log in at medicalinteractive.com/login, go to the Online Courses page and search for the course titles above.