This capstone project explores the concept of therapeutic falls within inpatient rehabilitation, particularly  among stroke and rehab populations. The initiative aims to shift the narrative around falls from punitive to  purposeful by providing education to clinical staff on the distinction between anticipated physiological and  therapeutic falls. Key components include improving documentation practices to reflect clinical intent,  emphasizing the "why" behind the fall rather than just the reactive response, and establishing standardized  communication strategies for patients and families. The project will also introduce visual tools such as staff  and patient facing posters to reinforce key messages. Metrics will be tracked pre- and post-intervention to  evaluate accuracy in categorization and alignment with quality and risk reporting. The overarching goal is to  support patient independence while ensuring safety, transparency, and shared understanding across care  teams. 

The capstone project, From Fear to Function: Therapeutic Falls in Inpatient Rehabilitation, aims to enhance  staff understanding of therapeutic falls and distinguish them from anticipated physiological falls, with a focus  on promoting independence and reducing fear around fall-related incidents in stroke and rehab patients. All  rehab patients are at risk for anticipated physiological falls due to their risk factors such as altered gait pattern  or altered mental status, however, sometimes, the falls that occur are therapeutic in nature, as they are in  pursuit of their rehab goals. By educating staff on the clinical rationale behind therapeutic falls, the project  seeks to improve the quality and consistency of documentation, encouraging staff to reflect on the “why”  behind the fall rather than solely documenting reactive details. A key outcome will be the implementation of  clear, standardized communication strategies to better inform patients and families about the role of risk in  rehabilitation, fostering trust and transparency. Deliverables will include a comprehensive staff education  package with in-service materials and tip sheets, patient and family facing resources such as handouts and  posters, and visual aids for staff reference. The project will also propose improved documentation guidelines  and contribute to more accurate data categorization in quality and risk reporting systems. Pre- and post implementation audits will assess changes in fall documentation accuracy and staff confidence, with the goal of supporting patient-centered care while reducing unnecessary delays in therapy due to fall-related  misinterpretations.

The student will be integrated into the capstone project team to support the development and implementation  of From Fear to Function: Therapeutic Falls in Inpatient Rehabilitation. The student will work under the  guidance of the project lead and collaborate closely with clinical educators, frontline staff, and the quality and  risk department. Their role will include assisting with literature reviews to support best practice  recommendations, developing patient and staff facing educational materials (e.g., posters, tip sheets, and  handouts), and participating in the creation of communication templates for staff use. The student will also  contribute to chart audits and data collection, helping to assess baseline documentation trends and post implementation outcomes. This position will be primarily onsite to allow for direct engagement with staff and  patients, observation of clinical workflows, and attendance at team huddles or education sessions. The  experience will offer the student valuable exposure to interdisciplinary collaboration, clinical process  improvement, and patient safety initiatives within a rehabilitation environment.