Narrative for Cape Cod Hospital

Pressure Ulcers

Being a member of the Massachusetts Hospital Association has given Cape Cod Hospital the opportunity to participate in the Pressure Ulcer Prevalence Study with the added benefit that allows the hospital to compare its pressure ulcer rate to other participating hospitals in Massachusetts. Analysis of the data from the initial study results revealed two significant findings:
- documentation of pressure ulcers present on admission was lacking
- Cape Cod Hospital’s skin program contained opportunities for improvement.
Subsequent improvement initiatives included nursing education on the staging and identification of pressure ulcers on all patients during the admission assessment process. This process allowed the hospital to determine those patients with existing pressure ulcers on admission and eliminated them from the count as acquired at the hospital. Cape Cod Hospital also actively pursued an improvement program for prevention that included nursing education, protocol revisions and daily skin checks. Both of these initiatives proved successful – subsequent Pressure Ulcer Prevalence study showed a dramatic reduction. All pressure ulcers identified were stage II with no skin breakdown. This success demonstrates the hospital’s commitment to continuous quality and safety in the care provided to all patients.

Falls

Cape Cod Hospital’s goal is to eliminate all falls. All patients are assessed for their risk to fall at the time of admission and regularly throughout their stay. If patients are assessed to be at high risk, specific fall reduction plans are put into place involving patient identification and location, staff communication, alarms, and patient and family education. The Patient Safety Committee is actively involved in reviewing falls data, identifying trends and developing strategies (care delivery, equipment, education/feedback) to prevent falls. The Hospital continues to work diligently to create and maintain a safe environment for all our patients.