Patient Falls

Patient Falls

The National Quality Forum (NQF) defines a fall as an unplanned descent to the floor (or extension of the floor e.g., trash can or other equipment) with or without injury to the patient.

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  • Beverly Hospital Implements Nurse-Led Program to Reduce Patient Falls

    Beverly Hospital in Massachusetts has significantly reduced the rate of patient falls on its units by implementing a comprehensive fall prevention program, WCVB Boston reports. According to a recent state report, 70 percent of serious injuries in Massachusetts hospitals were caused by falls, with older adults proving particularly vulnerable. As a result, preventing falls has become a top priori...» Full Article

  • Heywood Hospital Addresses Falls with Injury

    Falls in hospitals happen. Recognizing the issue, the Joint Commission has stepped in to require hospitals to implement falls-reduction programs as a requirement of accreditation, and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services will no longer reimburse hospitals for the cost of care that results from inpatient falls. Heywood Hospital in Gardner, Mass. - a 134 bed community hospital - has assembled a team to deal with the falls issue, which at Heywood is made even more difficult ty the presence of an in-facility geriatric psychiatric unit.

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  • BID-Plymouth – (formally Jordan) Making Strides to Reduce Falls

    Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, Mass., has undertaken an innovative strategy to deal with patient falls, which is a common problem that occurs just about everywhere that care is provided -- from hospitals to homes. People who are ill, recovering from surgery, on new medications - to name just a few of numerous reasons - often fall down, causing serious injury. It's a phenomenon that has caused all...» Full Article

  • Partners Study on Falls Featured in JAMA

    Reducing falls and the injuries that arise from such falls is a major goal of Massachusetts hospitals, which report their falls data through PatientCareLink. And our hospitals are developing the best practices, innovative strategies, and measurement tools that other states are using to address the issue. In the Vol. 304, No. 17, November 3, 2010, issue of JAMA - the Journal of the American Medi...» Full Article

  • Southcoast Health System: Reducing the Use of Safety Sitters

    Southcoast Health System's well thought-out program to reduce patient "sitters" - the individuals who spend time with patients to ensure that they do not fall and injure themselves - makes sense financially for the system, but has its genesis in improving patient safety and strengthening the caregiving team."They're not just sitting there. They are now interacting with the patients" says Joyce D...» Full Article