【Objective】The purpose of this study is to investigates the fall due to psychological characteristics of inpatients and its related factors in the acute university hospital.

【Methods】Using our hospital’s incident report database, we recruited 430 patients with falls in the hospital from April 2015 to March 2016. We investigated the following factors: basic patient characteristics, falling after lights-out in the nighttime, the main clinical department, causes of falls, the posture or motion when the fall happened. Patients were divided into two groups: the falls group by the psychological characteristic of the inpatient (falls due to the psychological characteristics of the inpatient) and the falls group by other factors (falls due to other factors).

【Results】The falls caused by the psychological characteristics of the inpatient was 19.3% (83/430 cases). The falls caused by the psychological characteristics of the inpatients were classified into six groups. They were belief, hesitation, refusal, a fret, high will, and feeling embarrassed in descending order. The multivariate analysis showed the following significant fall-related psychological characteristics of the inpatients: hospitalization in urology department (odds ratio［OR］, 7.058; 95% confidence intervals［CI］, 1.128-44.158), drop of the lower limbs, human trunk motion function (OR, 1.716; 95% CI, 1.031-2.855), drop of the recognition, the mind function (OR, 0.305; 95% CI, 0.149-0.625) and human environmental influence (OR, 0.446; 95% CI, 0.263-0.754).

【Conclusions】Hospitalization in urology department, drop of the lower limbs and human trunk motion function, drop of the recognition and the mind function, and human environmental influence were related to the falls due to the psychological characteristics among inpatients in acute university hospital.

【Objective】The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of fall prevention and interprofessional work (IPW) on consciousness change by performing an intervention using the “fall prevention collaboration program” for nurses and care staff at a geriatric health services facility.

【Methods】Participants were allocated into the intervention and control (i.e., normal fall prevention care) groups by ward (n=24 and n=36, respectively). Outcomes were compared between the two groups. The primary outcomes were changes in awareness concerning fall prevention and IPW, and secondary outcomes were measures of team process and team orientation. The protocol for the program was as follows: 1) create a team with interprofessional members, 2) clarify objectives, 3) develop teaching materials on fall prevention, IPW, and interprofessional education (IPE), hold a study session, 4) clarify the task, 5) suggest a solution, 6) establish consultation services, 7) draw up and implement fall prevention intervention plans, and 8) review systems when a fall incident occurs. Data were collected by the questionnaire method before and after the intervention conducted between December 2011 and February 2012.

【Results】Compared to the control group, the intervention group had a significantly higher proportion of participants who recognized improvements in the following items: ‘increased knowledge,’ ‘specific and accurate judgment,’ and ‘appropriate practice’ for changes in awareness of fall prevention, and ‘increased communication,’ ‘increased verbal messages concerning fall prevention,’ and ‘feasibility of awareness sharing concerning fall prevention’ for changes in awareness of IPW. Moreover, the intervention group showed significantly higher changes in the “knowledge and information sharing” item of the team process measure. No significant difference was observed between the two groups in the team orientation measure.

【Conclusions】This study suggested the effectiveness of our program in changing awareness of fall prevention and IPW among nurses and care staff at a geriatric health services facility.