Introduction: Falls pose a major public health and financial impact in the UK, with fragility fracture–associated costs estimated at £4.4 billion annually. Visual impairment is a modifiable risk factor for falls. National guidance from NICE and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) advocates a basic visual assessment for all inpatients admitted with a fall. Methods: A prospective audit was undertaken on the care of elderly wards at Kettering General Hospital between August and October 2025. Twenty patients aged ≥65 years admitted following a fall were included. Patients with delirium, dementia, or cognitive impairment were excluded. Compliance was audited against the RCP Bedside Vision Check for Falls Prevention, which defines a basic visual assessment as a structured vision questionnaire, checking eye movements, distance, near, and side vision. Documentation of vision-impairing conditions (e.g., glaucoma, cataract) and referral planning to visual correction services were reviewed from the medical notes. Results: Vision-impairing conditions were undocumented in 75% of patients. Only 10% of patients underwent a basic visual assessment. No patients had documented plans for referral to visual correction services at the date of data collection. Conclusions: Our audit demonstrates poor adherence to recommended inpatient visual screening following falls, highlighting a gap between the guidelines recommendations and clinical practice. Visual assessment appears underutilised despite its relevance to falls prevention. These findings highlight the need for a quality improvement project to embed routine bedside visual assessment and referral pathways. Exclusion of patients with cognitive impairment may affect generalisability.

Authors:
Yosif Albrahem, Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
Mustafa Mustafa, Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
Aditi Srivastava, Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
Arundhati Wariar, Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Yosif Albrahem is currently a trust grade senior house officer in general medicine in Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Interested in research and quality improvement.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

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