OASIS-Central

Q: How does OASIS-C address falls and what is the official definition of a fall?

A: OASIS-C addresses falls in three areas.

• M1910 asks whether the patient has had a multi-factor fall risk assessment
• M2250 asks whether the physician-ordered plan of care includes fall prevention interventions
• M2400 asks whether interventions to prevent falls were ordered in the plan of care and implemented

Each agency should create its own definition of a fall as it is applicable to them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses a standard definition for the national Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System. Their standard is:  “By a fall, we mean when a person unintentionally comes to rest on the ground or another lower level.”

Ann Hendrich, RN, MSN, FAAN, vice president of clinical excellence operations at Ascension Health in St. Louis, has done extensive research on falls. According to Hendrich, “Assisted falls (those who were assisted to a seated or floor position) should be categorized as a ‘near miss’ to avoid falsely concluding that a patient fell without assistance, even if the organization required it to be logged as a fall occurrence.”