An online resource guide offers 21 targeted solutions for reducing the rate of falls in hospitals and urgent care settings, The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare announced in a statement.
Using the fall prevention methodology of the Targeted Solutions Tool, developed in collaboration with seven hospitals and five health care organizations, a typical 200-bed hospital could potentially reduce the number of patients injured from a fall from 117 to 45, avoiding approximately $1 million in costs annually, the agency claims.
Some of the recommendations for reducing in-hospital falls include:
• Creating awareness among staff.
• Using a validated fall risk assessment tool.
• Engaging patients and their families in the fall safety program.
• Hourly rounding with scheduled restroom use for patients.
• Engaging all hospital staff and patients to ensure no patient walks without assistance.
“Hundreds of thousands of patients fall in hospitals every year and many of these falls result in moderate to severe injuries that can prolong hospital stays and require the patient to undergo additional treatment,” Dr. Erin DuPree, vice president and chief medical officer of the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare, said in a statement .
The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare was created in 2008 as a nonprofit affiliate of The Joint Commission.
Check out the online resource here .
