Fall Risk Assessment (Morse Fall Scale)

The Fall Risk Assessment Form implements the widely validated Morse Fall Scale (MFS) to systematically evaluate patients for fall risk upon admission and at regular intervals throughout their hospital stay or care episode. It captures six key predictive factors — history of falling, presence of secondary diagnoses, use of ambulatory aids, intravenous access or heparin lock status, gait characteristics, and mental status self-assessment — each scored according to the standardized MFS methodology. The resulting composite score categorizes patients into low, moderate, or high fall risk tiers, directly informing the level of preventive interventions required.

Beyond the core Morse scale items, this template includes supplementary documentation fields for recording environmental hazard observations, current medications that may increase fall risk (such as sedatives, antihypertensives, and diuretics), and a section for documenting the specific fall prevention interventions implemented based on the risk score. This comprehensive approach ensures that the assessment drives actionable care planning rather than serving as a standalone checklist.

Designed for acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation centers, and home health agencies, this form supports Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal compliance for fall reduction programs. It facilitates consistent documentation across nursing shifts, enables trending of fall risk scores over time, and provides the evidence-based framework that quality improvement teams need to measure the effectiveness of institutional fall prevention initiatives.