PurposeTo examine the pattern of underreporting of fall incidents in a general psychiatric hospital in Japan.
Design and MethodsAll fall incidents were analyzed and stratified by ward.
FindingsA discrepancy in fall rates was found in acute psychiatric and dementia wards. The following indicators were suggestive of underreporting: zero fall/1,000 patient-days, proportion of falls without injury, and proportion of falls identified as occurring in the bedroom as a fall location during certain time periods.
Practice ImplicationsWard-specific fall rates, with further stratifications by time and location of the fall, were useful for identifying a pattern of underreporting.