Morse Fall Scale Calculator (fall risk score for patients)

Understanding the Morse Fall Scale calculator — concept and principle

The Morse Fall Scale is a quick nursing assessment of a patient's risk of falling in hospital or a care home. It adds points for six items and sorts the patient into low, moderate or high risk so that prevention measures can match the risk.

Six items add up: with the default inputs the result is 65 points (45 or more → high risk).

How it is calculated

Score (0–125) = sum of six items:

History of falling in the past 3 months or during this stay: 25
More than one medical diagnosis: 15
Walking aid: none, bed rest, wheelchair or nurse assists 0; crutches, cane or walker 15; holds on to furniture 30
IV line or saline lock: 20
Gait: normal, bed rest or immobile 0; weak 10; impaired 20
Mental status: overestimates or forgets limits 15

Common levels: 0–24 low, 25–44 moderate, 45 or more high.

The principle

Each item reflects a known cause of falls: a previous fall is the strongest single predictor, illness and lines limit movement, poor gait and the need to hold on to furniture show instability, and not recognising one's limits leads to risky moves. Morse and colleagues gave larger weights to items that predicted falls more strongly in their 1989 study.

Worked example

Default inputs: previous fall yes, more than one diagnosis yes, uses a cane or walker, no IV line, weak gait, knows own limits.

25 + 15 + 15 + 0 + 10 + 0 = 65.
65 ≥ 45 → High risk.
Points to the high-risk line = max(0, 45 − 65) = 0.

How to read the result

Where does your result fall?

Higher scores call for more prevention: bed in a low position, call bell in reach, non-slip footwear, help with toileting, regular checks, medication review and, where available, bed alarms. Some hospitals use 50 or more as high risk. Reassess on admission, after any fall and whenever the condition changes.

Common mistakes

Scoring gait while the patient is lying in bed.
Missing a fall that happened at home before admission.
Treating a low score as no risk; anyone can fall.

Keep in mind: This is a nursing assessment aid, not a diagnosis. Fall prevention plans are set by the care team and local policy.

Frequently asked questions

What Morse score is high risk?

Commonly 45 or more, though some hospitals use 50.

How often should the scale be repeated?

On admission, after a fall, on transfer and when the patient's condition changes.

Does medication count?

Not directly, but sedatives and blood pressure medicines raise fall risk and should be reviewed.

Sources: Morse JM, Morse RM, Tylko SJ, "Development of a scale to identify the fall-prone patient", Can J Aging 1989;8(4):366–377

Checked 9 Nov 2026. Morse JM, Morse RM, Tylko SJ, original Morse Fall Scale study (1989); items, points and risk levels as reproduced in the CASRAI guide “Morse Fall Scale”.

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