New Fall Prevention Resource

• 8/6/2010
• Author: Jim Parker
• Category: Perspectives on Patient Safety Blog
• 7800 Views
• 0 Comments
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A fall for an elderly or severely ill or weakened patient can be deadly. Health care organizations have a responsibility to take steps to reduce the likelihood of falls in their facilities. This is the impetus behind The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goal 9, requirement NPSG.09.02.01, which guides organizations’ fall prevention efforts.
 
Falls remain a serious patient safety problem, especially for older patients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls are the second leading cause of injury-related deaths for people ages 65 and older, and are the most common cause of injuries and hospital admissions among the elderly.
 
To empower patients and help organizations reduce falls, The Joint Commission has undertaken a national education campaign devoted to fall prevention, through its Speak Up™ program.

Among the strategies the Speak Up materials present to the public are the following:
• Taking care of your health—this includes exercise to improve strength and balance, staying hydrated, having an eye exam regularly and talking to your doctor about any side effects from medications that might cause drowsiness or confusion.
• Taking extra precautions—simple actions such as turning on the lights when entering a room, keeping walkways clear, using handrails on stairs, and wearing proper shoes can make a difference.
• Making small changes to your home—using motion sensors or timers for lights, placing nightlights in bedrooms and bathrooms, removing throw rugs, and applying non-slip decals on stairs and in bathtubs to reduce the risk of falls. Home care agencies, personal care and support agencies, or community programs may be available to help you accomplish these tasks if you are older or disabled.
• Taking extra precautions in the hospital or nursing home, for example, people in health care facilities should use the call button to ask for help to get out of bed or go to the bathroom, wear non-slip socks, lower the height of the bed and bed rails, and tell the nurse or doctor if medicine is making you feel dizzy or sick.

Organizations and patients can download the new brochure here.