Reducing falls for people with dementia (Sorlie, Shields, Connellan, Addo, Aurelio, 2026)

Clarissa Sorlie, Gavin Shields, Tracy Connellan, Nathaniel Addo, Marco Aurelio

BMJ Open Access, June 2026

Available online at this link

This quality improvement project aimed to reduce falls on an older adult mental health ward, where people with dementia face heightened risk. Targeting a 30% reduction by September 2024, the multidisciplinary team applied QI methods to test changes that increased therapeutic engagement, strengthened nursing observations, reduced medication‑related risks and improved the ward environment. The project exceeded expectations, achieving a 74% reduction in falls (from 5.4 to 1.4 per 1000 occupied bed days). The work highlights the value of multidisciplinary collaboration and rapid Plan–Do–Study–Act cycles in improving patient safety.