Falls
Efforts to prevent falls in the hospital setting involve identifying patients at risk of falling and implementing fall prevention strategies. We have enhanced our program to improve the rigor and consistency of processes for both the identification of patients at risk and for communicating with staff, patients and families about the fall risk status of the patients. Our Nurse Managers evaluate every patient fall. We have discovered that the middle of the night is a vulnerable time for our patients so we are particularly focused on preventing falls at night. We have instituted a program of “Frequent Checks” where patients at risk for falls are offered toileting assistance at frequent intervals both during the day and at night. Based on our evaluations we also know that many patients fall because they are left unattended in the bathroom. Our efforts are focused on educating all of our staff, so that our patients who are vulnerable for falls are never left alone in the bathroom, on the commode, or at the side of the bed. We believe that these focused efforts will decrease our fall rate this year.
Pressure Ulcer Prevalence
Efforts to prevent pressure ulcers in the hospital setting involve identifying patients at risk for pressure ulcers and implementing prevention strategies. We have enhanced our program to include a daily Braden Score to improve our identification of patients at risk. We have also improved our documentation which cues staff about the appropriate preventative measures to take for each patient’s individual needs. We root cause every stage III or greater pressure ulcer. We believe that these focused efforts will decrease our rate of hospital acquired pressure ulcers this year.
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| 19 March 2019 |
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