Haemoglobin for Fall Risk Screening in Gynaecological and Obstetric Wards: Retrospective Survey and Delphi Validation.
Bijun Mao, Yan Chen, Chunsheng Wang and 6 others
PMID 39726329WHAT IT FOUND
In obstetrics and gynaecology inpatients, lower haemoglobin was associated with falls, and experts agreed haemoglobin below 110 g/L should trigger higher fall-risk attention.
This is a screening idea, not tested care.
Key findings
01Haemoglobin was lower in fallers, ranging 47 to 132 g/L, versus 63 to 150 g/L in non-fallers.
0220 experts agreed that haemoglobin should be used as a fall-risk screening factor.
03The proposed haemoglobin fall-risk categories were ≥ 110, 90–109, 60–89, and < 60 g/L.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study looked back at records, so it cannot prove low haemoglobin caused falls. The non-fall group had only 120 patients, so it could not compare fall rates across haemoglobin categories. Patients already judged high fall risk may have received prevention, which can hide the effect. The Delphi step used expert opinion, not tested patient outcomes. The study did not show that using haemoglobin screening reduces falls.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat haemoglobin screening as proven to prevent falls. The paper shows an association and expert agreement, but it did not test whether using haemoglobin to guide nursing care reduces falls.