What are the important questions I should ask my patient who has had a fall?
It is important to determine if the fall was due to syncope as this needs to be investigated further. To see if there is possible underlying syncope you should ask “do you remember hitting the ground?”. The history should ascertain all possible causes for the falls (intrinsic, extrinsic and behavioural) as this helps to develop a management plan. It is important to specifically ask about fear of falling and to determine the person’s functional ability before and after the fall.
