- Vaida Zieviene
- 05/09/2026
Abstract
Patient falls remain a significant safety concern in hospitals, with approximately 700,000 to 1 million falls occurring annually in the United States, and nearly 30% resulting in injury. Despite the use of standard fall-prevention strategies, such as bed alarms, frequent rounding, and 1:1 sitters, falls continue to occur, especially among high-risk patients with cognitive impairment or limited mobility. Continuous video monitoring (CVM) has been introduced as a potential strategy to improve patient safety by allowing earlier detection of unsafe behaviors and faster intervention.
The purpose of this practicum project was to explore the use of CVM as a fall-prevention strategy in hospitalized patients and to examine the requirements for successful implementation in clinical practice. Methods included a review of six peer-reviewed articles and stakeholder engagement with nurse managers and leadership involved in a pilot CVM program. A follow-up inquiry was conducted three weeks later to assess early outcomes and ongoing implementation progress.
Stakeholder findings indicated that video monitoring is viewed as an adjunct to existing fall prevention strategies rather than a replacement for them. Reported benefits included earlier detection of unsafe behaviors, improved response times, and reduced reliance on 1:1 sitters in some cases. Challenges included workflow integration, staff training, privacy concerns, and limited availability of outcome data during early implementation. Literature findings support the potential effectiveness of CVM, with studies demonstrating reductions in fall rates of approximately 20–25% and decreased sitter utilization. Overall, CVM shows promise as part of a multifactorial fall-prevention approach, but continued evaluation is needed to determine its long-term outcomes.
Keywords: patient falls, video monitoring, fall prevention, hospitalized patients, nursing practice, patient safety
