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General product and research information only; this is not medical advice and does not replace a facility’s own fall-prevention policy or clinical judgment.
Short answer
A fall mat is a cushioning mat placed on the floor beside a bed or chair so that a person who falls lands on a softer surface than bare flooring. In laboratory biomechanical tests it lowered the modelled risk of serious head injury, but a separate observational study found that a thick, bevel-edged bedside mat made some older patients stumble when they stepped onto it.
Definition and scope
This page uses “fall mat” for a passive impact-cushioning mat. It reduces how hard a body hits the floor; it does not stop a fall and does not tell anyone that a fall is happening. That separates it from a sensor or alarm mat, which signals staff when pressure changes and offers no cushioning. The related search phrases “fall prevention equipment” and “bed exit alarm” are covered below as neighbouring interventions, because a mat is only one item in that group.
How fall mats are used in practice
The studies on mats test them next to a bed, usually paired with a bed set at its lowest position. Bowers and colleagues (Rehabilitation Nursing, 2008) modelled head-first and feet-first falls from six bed heights onto tile and onto a floor mat. For a feet-first fall from a bed height of 97.5 cm onto tile, they estimated a 25% chance of serious head injury, and 40% when the added height of bedrails was included. With a floor mat, the estimate for bedrail height fell to less than 1% for feet-first falls. The authors paired floor mats with height-adjustable beds at their lowest position in their conclusion. This was biomechanical modelling, not a trial of patient outcomes.
Raymond and colleagues (Rehabilitation Nursing, 2011) dropped a side-impact test dummy from 45.7, 61.0 and 76.2 cm onto a rigid floor and onto two mat types. On the unpadded rigid floor the risk of serious head injury exceeded 50% at 61.0 and 76.2 cm. Both mats significantly reduced head and pelvis injury risk at every height tested, and thoracic risk for all but the highest drop.
For how mats fit into a wider programme, see the CASRAI guide to a hospital fall prevention program, and for the bed itself, what a hospital bed is.
The trade-off: injury protection versus trip risk
The same product can create a hazard. Doig and Morse (Journal of Patient Safety, 2010) video-recorded 15 participants, 10 of whom used a 1-inch-thick bevel-edged mat. The mat caused elderly participants to lose balance and, in some cases, stumble; 8 of the 10 had difficulty getting out of bed, because heels landing on the beveled edge shifted the centre of gravity backward. Walkers and mobile IV stands were also unbalanced on the mat. The authors called a bevel-edged bedside mat a potential hazard for ambulatory patients, especially those with impaired gaits, or those using walkers and pushing mobile IV stands.
Mat, bed exit alarm and low bed: what each addresses
| Intervention | What it addresses | What the cited source says |
|---|---|---|
| Fall mat | Severity of injury if a fall happens | Lower modelled head-injury risk in drop tests (Bowers 2008; Raymond 2011); stumbling hazard for ambulatory patients (Doig and Morse 2010) |
| Bed or chair sensor alarm | Notification that a person is leaving the bed or chair | Cochrane review (2018): 2 trials, 28,649 participants; rate of falls ratio 0.60 (95% CI 0.27 to 1.34); very low-quality evidence, effect uncertain |
| Bed at lowest height | Distance of the fall | Bowers 2008 recommended it alongside floor mats |
The alarm row concerns a different product. See what a bed alarm is and the chair alarm guide for how those devices work.
Where it matters for labs, clinics and supply decisions
A reader weighing a mat can turn the findings above into questions for their own setting. Each question traces to one study:
- Does the mat have a raised or beveled edge, and do patients step across it? (Doig and Morse 2010)
- Do patients who can walk use walkers or push IV stands next to the bed? (Doig and Morse 2010)
- How high is the bed surface, including any bedrails? (Bowers 2008)
- Is the mat being expected to alert staff? It cannot; that is the job of an alarm. (Cochrane 2018)
Evidence strength matters too. An integrative review by Pati and colleagues (Journal of Patient Safety, 2021) covered 30 articles from 1990 to 2017 and judged the evidence on design elements including floor mats not high enough for robust confidence in design decisions. Mats are also separate from restraint decisions; see medical restraints. Risk screening is compared in fall risk assessment tools compared.
Common misunderstandings
A fall mat is not an alarm
A cushioning mat gives no signal. A floor sensor mat is a different product that detects pressure and alerts staff.
A fall mat does not make a fall harmless
The cited tests report reduced injury risk, not zero risk, and they are laboratory models rather than patient outcome trials.
A mat is not automatically safe for everyone who walks
The stumbling findings apply to ambulatory patients with impaired gait and to walkers and IV stands.
FAQ
What is a fall mat?
A cushioning floor mat placed beside a bed or chair to soften the landing if someone falls.
Does a fall mat prevent falls?
No. In the cited studies it was tested for reducing injury risk once a fall occurs; the Doig and Morse study found it could add a trip hazard.
Is a fall mat the same as a bed exit alarm?
No. An alarm notifies staff; a mat cushions impact. The Cochrane review rated the evidence for sensor alarms as very low quality and uncertain.
How strong is the evidence?
Limited. The 2021 integrative review concluded that the evidence on floor mats and related design elements is not high enough for robust confidence.
Sources
- Bowers B et al. Rehabilitation Nursing 2008;33(6):253-259. PubMed PMID 19024240 (checked 2026-11-01).
- Raymond DE et al. Rehabilitation Nursing 2011;36(6):248-254. PubMed PMID 22073504 (checked 2026-11-01).
- Doig AK, Morse JM. Journal of Patient Safety 2010;6(2):68-75. PubMed PMID 22130346 (checked 2026-11-01).
- Pati D et al. Journal of Patient Safety 2021;17(4):273-281. PubMed PMID 31157738 (checked 2026-11-01).
- Cameron ID et al. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2018. PubMed PMID 30191554 (checked 2026-11-01).
