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Safe AMU discharge after fall — SCE Acute Medicine MCQ

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ModeratePatient Safety and Risk ManagementSafe AMU discharge after fallSCE Acute Medicine

An 89-year-old woman attends after a mechanical fall. CT head is normal, she is mobilising with a frame and observations are stable. Medication review reveals zopiclone, doxazosin and bendroflumethiazide; lying-standing blood pressure drops by 28 mmHg systolic. She lives alone and has fallen twice this month. What is the most appropriate next step in management?

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Correct answer: D — Multifactorial falls assessment with medication rationalisation before discharge

Recurrent falls with orthostatic hypotension and sedative/vasodilator medicines require multifactorial falls assessment and medication review. A normal CT head does not address the cause or future risk. Benzodiazepines increase falls risk. The pearl is that AMU discharge safety depends on function, medicines and home risk, not imaging alone.

Reference: NICE CG161 Falls in older people