Introduction
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, 700,000 to 1 million patients fall in hospitals each year. National organizations, such as The Joint Commission and the Department of Veterans Affairs, report high prevalence of sentinel event and root cause analysis reports on fall-related injuries, making fall prevention a high priority for hospitals. The Centers for Disease Control states one in five falls does not result in an injury, but when an injury occurs, the subsequent pain, cost, delay in discharge, delay in recovery, and increased risk of mortality negatively impact patients and caregivers alike. The Tennessee Center for Patient Safety supports hospital efforts to reduce falls and fall-related injuries through provision of evidence-based fall-prevention strategies, focused education programs, and opportunities for peer-to-peer sharing of practice.
Resources
Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
United States Department of Veterans Affairs Resources
Additional Resources
- Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare (PSQH) “A Team Approach to Fall Prevention”
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries) Tool Kit for Health Care Providers
- Annals of Internal Medicine “Inpatient Fall Prevention Programs as a Patient Safety Strategy: A Systematic Review”
THA Falls Collaborative
The THA Board of Directors identified falls as a priority area of focus for 2020. Despite ongoing efforts by hospitals, falls with injuries remain a challenge.
This virtual collaborative, led by national falls subject-matter expert, Jackie Conrad, BS, RN, MBA, RCC® of Cynosure Health, seeks to blend the “art” of change management with the science of evidence-based practices.
THA Falls Collaborative One Page Summary Report
THA Falls Collaborative Final Report
- 2011 Bed Alarm Article, Shore
- 2009 Bed Alarm Article
- Shorr R, Chandler A, Mion L, Waters T, Liu M, Daniels M, Kessler L, ,Miller, S.T. (2012). Effects of an intervention to increase bed alarm use to prevent falls in hospitalized patients. A cluster randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 157, 692–699. Retrieved 12.30.17.
