Preventing patient falls and fall-related injuries in the hospital setting has been an elusive goal for many organizations. Falls are a high-risk and high-cost problem (human and financial). An estimated 30% of hospital-based falls result in serious injury (Stevens, 2004). Several factors have contributed to the complexity of sustaining true fall reduction and the avoidance of patient injuries. An aging population, rising patient acuity with behavioral health and cognitive disabilities, and nurse shortages with less time for the nurse in direct patient care make process improvement a challenge. Leadership plays an instrumental role in understanding the problem, establishing easy-to-use data systems designed to capture the facts surrounding the fall, creating systems for data review and analysis, purchasing equipment and establishing a safety culture. MacNeal Hospital has demonstrated a 30% reduction in falls with injury between September 2009 to August of 2011.
Join us as MacNeal Hospital staff review the measureable attributes for their successful fall prevention program:
Presenters:
Maria Hill, RN, MS is the Chicago Market VP of Patient Quality & Safety for Vanguard Health Systems.
Jan Machanis, RN, MSN, NE-BC is the Director of Quality Management at MacNeal Hospital.
Elizabeth Fonseca, RHIA, MCSM is the Quality Database Administrator at MacNeal Hospital.
Jolene Bucina, RN, BSN, ONC is the Clinical Navigator for the Spine and Joint Orthopedic Program at MacNeal Hospital.
