PREVENTION OF PATIENT FALL

Fall Prevention

Nurses play an integral role in keeping patients safe. Nearly every nurse can recall an incident in which a patient fell, and how devastating this was for the patient, family and for the nurse. A leading cause of injury during hospitalizations is patient falls.

Organization-wide approaches

There should be a Falls Prevention Committee that monitors fall data, call light data, viewing of falls prevention videos data, and uses storytelling about specific cases to engage staff and promote transparency.

Staff and patient education

• Extensive staff education for RNs and non-RN care providers.
• Education for patients and family, including a fall prevention video that is pushed to every patient  within four hours of admission.
• Use of visual tools to identify patients at risk: yellow bands, door magnets, and magnets on patient locater board.

Practice

• ·         Bedside report, engaging patients and families in safety discussions.
• ·         Keeping within arm's reach of fall risk patients while toileting.
• ·         Post fall huddles and completion of detailed Huddle Sheet.
• ·        Purposeful hourly rounding while closely monitoring patients voiding patterns and fluid intake.
• ·        Shortened pajama length to prevent tripping.

 

Unit-based/patient population specific strategies

·         Monthly meetings with high-fall units with Falls Prevention Committee Chair and Director of Research to:

• ·         Develop unit/population-based action plans.
• ·         Review every incident of a fall and discuss alternate prevention strategies.

Examples of unit-based strategies:

• ·      Developed extensive training materials for Traveller nurses.
• ·     Created EPIC reports for nursing assistance with fall risk score.
• ·     Early Mobility evidenced-based practice project.
• ·    Falls "reflection tool" completed by the nurse whose patient fell, who interviews two colleagues about their fall assessment, prevention strategies and documentation.
• ·   Call bell near patient to contact nurse
• ·     Various strategies to enhance teamwork.
• ·    Yellow bracelets for fall risk patients.