Prevent falls
Safe footwear in hospital
The safest choice is your own well-fitting shoes or slippers from home, with a closed back, a secure fastening and a grippy sole. In a study across five Queensland public hospitals, 55% of inpatients wore unsafe footwear, including slippers (21%), thongs (15%) and backless slippers (7%).
General safety tips, not personal medical advice. Ask the ward nurse, physio or podiatrist about your own situation.
Fit
Holds on to your foot
Heel and collar
Sole
Avoid
About grip socks: a 2021 review found no strong evidence that non-slip socks prevent hospital falls, and they can carry bacteria. Some hospitals provide them when patients have no safe footwear, but shoes or slippers from home are better. If you use them, keep them to one person and swap them for footwear as soon as you can.
References
- Kim I-J. Enhancing Footwear Safety for Fall Prevention in Older Adults: A Comprehensive Review of Design Features. Annals of Geriatric Medicine and Research, 2024.
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Falls Guidelines for Australian Hospitals, 2025 (Feet and Footwear chapter).
- Jazayeri D et al. Benefits and risks of non-slip socks in hospitals: a rapid review. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 2021.
- NSW Clinical Excellence Commission. Do non-slip socks reduce falls?
- Indoor footwear among inpatients at five Queensland public hospitals (PubMed Central).
- Injury Matters (WA). Stay On Your Feet: foot care and falls.
- CDC STEADI. Feet and Footwear for Older Adults fact sheet.
- Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Footwear in hospital: patient information, 2024.
- Northern Sydney and Central Coast LHDs. Preventing a fall in hospital.