Exploring the relationship between cultural values, beliefs, and practices and patient falls: a Middle Eastern study.

Patient falls have been a concern in North American healthcare for many years. Studies have examined environmental, clinical, and patient variables for purposes of risk identification and fall reduction, primarily in the context of Western societies. An investigation at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, began in 1993 to determine whether commonly reported risk factors apply to the Saudi patient population and whether cultural values, beliefs, and practices such as the performance of ablution before prayer, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, and the need for socialization influence the rate of patient falls. The study included all inpatients (N = 379) who fell during a 3-year period.