Patient falls are defined as "patients who experience an unplanned descent to the floor". Patient falls in hospitals are a key safety issue and represent the most frequently reported adverse event in acute care settings. Previous work related to fall risk assessment suggests that a large majority of falls (78%) occur as a result of the presence of physiological risk factors such as confusion, incontinence, poor balance and mobility problems. These falls are considered preventable and as such are classified as iatrogenic.