Disclosures: Krystal S. Lee, DO: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest

Objective: Retrospective study evaluating factors which contributed to increased falls seen during COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: Retrospective studySetting : Free Standing Inpatient Rehabilitation FacilityParticipants : Patients admitted to an Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility in 2019 and 2020

Interventions: Not applicable

Main Outcome Measures: Falls

Results: There was a 27.7% increase in patient falls from 2019 to 2020 despite similar volumes and acuity. During the months of low local COVID-19 prevalence, there were fewer falls. Falls that occurred during the local surge from March-May and October-December accounted for 63% (91/144) of all falls during 2020, 20% of these falls resulted in injuries. The most common diagnosis associated with falls was stroke (52/144) followed by brain injury (43/144). Falls were equally distributed among day, evening and night shifts. 31% of all falls occurred on patients that had continuous video monitoring.Conclusions: Overall, the fall rate in 2020 was higher despite traditional interventions, including video monitoring. The limitation on visitors, isolation of patients and the need to don PPE prior to entering the room during the COVID-19 Pandemic contributed to the increased fall rate. Additional fall prevention strategies should be considered to prevent falls when access to patients is limited.

Level of Evidence: Level IV

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PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/the-covid-19-pandemic-and-its-impact-on-patient-falls-at-free-standing-inpatient-rehabilitation-facility/