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CE Article: Follow these best practices to reduce falls*

Nurse Leader Weekly, May 9, 2008

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In addition to being the focus of National Patient Safety Goal #9, preventing patient falls has taken on even more importance for hospitals this year. Beginning in October, CMS will no longer reimburse hospitals for the cost of care following patient falls that could have been prevented. This puts an increased pressure on hospitals and staff members to implement policies and procedures to reduce patient falls, and there are practical and effective ways to meet this goal.

Communication: Although communication can be passed on through documentation, face-to-face communication among staff members and between staff members and patients is important. Iowa-Des Moines Health stresses intra-staff communication by doing postfall huddles and sharing findings from unit to unit, allowing staff to quickly evaluate and learn from the fall.

Patient room adjustments: When patients are admitted to Sentara Norfolk (VA) Hospital, specific safety precautions are put in the patient's room. Each bed is adjusted, nonskid slippers are given to the patient, a bedpan is placed within easy reach, and the furniture is rearranged so that the patient has easy access to the bathroom and exit.

Identification: Better patient identification is not only needed for quality improvement, but also to reduce patient falls. Because patients travel from unit to unit, hospitalwide identification of fall-risk patients is crucial so that staff can evaluate whether the patient is at high risk.

Editor's note: This excerpt was adapted from the CE Article: Follow these best practices to reduce falls featured in the Reading Room on HCPro's new online resource center.

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