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Fall accidents among healthcare staff

IVL has, with support from AFA, run a project to investigate what fall accidents among healthcare staff are due to and how they could be prevented. Based on this understanding of what fall accidents are due to and what is required to prevent them, the goal of the project is to develop a methodology, ie. tools and working methods to effectively prevent fall accidents among healthcare staff.

The methodology is developed together with key actors / functions for a functioning work environment (eg work environment strategists, managers, safety representatives, real estate services and HR) and must be able to be integrated into workplaces' existing work environment work and also include strengthening the workplace safety culture. The methodology must be able to be used by workplaces on their own, without external support and also be developed to be able to be used for other work environment risks in the workplace. In addition, the methodology must be in line with the agreement on work environment and collaboration from 2017. The methodology must build on, and supplement / further develop, the existing environment at the workplace.

The development will be an iterative process, where the researchers work together with working groups with representatives of different actors / functions. The methodology builds i.a. on the basis of checklists presented in the report from the previous IVL project on fall accidents in healthcare.

The project's goal is thus to develop working methods and support for smart and efficient work environment in healthcare. The background to the project is several research studies conducted by IVL and which investigated both why occupational injuries occur in healthcare and how the most common occupational injuries can be prevented.

Another project goal is to develop working methods that do not take too much time and that create good and safe working environments at the same time as the work strengthens adjacent areas, such as patient safety work.

Workplaces that participate in the project will:

  • Discuss how preventive work environment can be conducted in the workplace to be effective while not taking up too much time and resources.
  • Test working methods and support (work environment tools of various kinds) that are developed together with participating workplaces within the project.

The project's starting points based on experiences and lessons learned from previous projects are:

  • Start from the workplace's existing work environment and the conditions that exist and together with the workplace discuss how it can be developed and improved.
  • Different participants need support to cope with their work environment tasks, such as checklists and other types of support that make it easy to both know what to do and to do the right thing.
  • The work environment can in a natural way be integrated into existing routines, for example APT, but also such routines that relate to adjacent and important areas, such as patient safety work.
  • Clarify what different participants in the workplace need to contribute, e.g. management, HR, managers at different levels, employees and safety representatives. Not everyone needs to contribute everything, but everyone has an important function in the work environment work.

During the project, we will, together with participating workplaces, continuously evaluate what works well and what is difficult in the work environment. This is important so that together we can adapt and develop the work environment so that it becomes as efficient and works as well as possible for each activity.

Project facts

  • Fall accidents among healthcare staff
  • Financed by: AFA Försäkring
  • Budget: 2980 000
  • Period: 2019 - 2022

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