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Trainer’s tip: Develop and follow a fall prevention care plan

LTC Nursing Assistant Trainer, March 11, 2010

When developing a fall prevention care plan, consider all relevant factors for each resident, generate realistic approaches, and list them on the care plan. Communicate the fall prevention plan to all direct care staff members. Avoid using the same computer-generated approaches for all residents in the facility. Instead, personalize them. Also, make sure your facility can prove that the plan was implemented. If a resident falls repeatedly, the medical record should show evidence of assessment, modification of the plan, and implementation of a revised plan after each fall. Despite all this, sometimes residents inevitably fall. To determine whether falls are unavoidable in certain residents, determine whether:

• Fall prevention policies and procedures are in place and have been followed by staff members.
• The resident has been accurately assessed.
• The fall-risk, based on analysis of assessment findings, is care-planned.
• The care plan has been implemented, and evidence of implementation exists in the medical record.
• The interventions have been evaluated and modified according to the resident’s response. If a resident falls, the plan is probably not as effective as it could be. Immediately review the plan. Modify, change or add to the approaches. Do not wait for the next interdisciplinary team review. Update the plan promptly after the fall occurs. Make sure you have a system in place for communicating changes and new approaches.

This is an excerpt from HCPro’s book, The Long-Term Care Nursing Desk Reference, Second Edition, by Barbara Acello, MS, RN.

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