2,000 patients treated for hospital shower falls

Share on Facebook   

ALMOST 2,000 patients have fallen or slipped in hospital showers in the past six years, suffering broken bones and multiple injuries in some cases, a report said yesterday, writes Eilish O'Regan. They were among 117,800 slips, trips and falls reported in hospitals and other health facilities between January 2004 and December last year. In many cases where there was a shower accident, the patient was not supervised by hospital staff as patients should be, the report from the State Claims Agency revealed. It compiled the report after it was asked by the chief executive of the Irish Patients Association, Stephen McMahon, to outline the extent of the problem after he was contacted by a family whose mother had a serious fall in a shower seat in a hospital. No patients have died but a small number of the 1,700 people who had accidents in showers suffered fractures such as a broken hip, grazing, bruising and lacerations. Eilish O'Regan Irish Independent

Print Friendly | Recommend Page |
 
Print Friendly | Recommend Page |