Abstract

Research letters: Great strides have been made in recent years in the management of falls. In care settings for older people it is time now to develop criteria which will allow us to move on from recording fall quantity to fall quality. It is time to work with staff and colleagues in care settings to ensure that reasonable and realistic policies, practices and expectations prevail. Healthcare professionals should also now belatedly engage with the lay public, with patients and families about falls and risk management. A risk-free life is no life at all. (Marion E. T. McMurdo, John R. Harper) Key points: . There is a wide range of acceptability for various measures considered to be restraint. . We identified marked differences of opinion on acceptability of measures of restraint among patients/relatives and health care professionals. . It is important to involve patients and where appropriate relatives in decisions to try preventing falls in hospital. [From the authors]