Your Child’s Safety: Preventing Falls (Outpatient)
We want your child to be safe from falls during medical visits. Here is how we can partner with you to keep your child safe.
These things can cause your child to fall:
- Weakness or feeling very tired (fatigue).
- Medicines or medical conditions that affect vision or make your child dizzy or sleepy.
- An unfamiliar place.
- Rushing from one place to another.
To help keep your child safe, our staff will:
- Assess your child’s risk for falling.
- Keep the area clutter-free.
- Help your child onto the exam table or stretcher, if needed.
- Share helpful tips for keeping your child safe.
Here are some ways you can keep your child safe:
- Plan lots of time to get from one place to another.
- Tell staff if your child has a history of falls.
- Stay close to your child while in the waiting room and hallways.
- Go with your child to the bathroom.
- Support or hold your child while on the exam table.
- Keep car seats holding infants on a safe place on the floor, not on chairs or tables.
- Ask staff for help if you need to leave your child’s side, even for a minute.
- Ask staff if you need help keeping your child safe.
Thank you for partnering with us to prevent falls.
We welcome your questions and concerns.
Please let us know how we can best support your child and family.
© NYU Langone Health. All rights reserved. Reviewed for health literacy. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your health care provider's instructions.
Created in partnership with families and expertise from our Sala Institute for Child and Family Centered Care