Partnering with the Patient to Reduce Falls in a Medical-Surgical Unit

This article describes the process of implementing and developing a falls prevention program aimed at decreasing falls and improving patient safety by including patients in their care. A falls prevention program was designed and evaluated for effectiveness using the plan, do, study, act (PDSA) model. The program involved nurses partnering with the patient to reduce falls. Program interventions included providing staff with a script to enlist the patient’s participation in the program, providing patients with an educational card to remind them of their role in falls prevention, and rewarding the patient with a certificate at the time of discharge celebrating 0 falls during their hospital stay. The results of the intervention revealed that the falls rate decreased 71% from 8.06 to 3.18, the average number of falls decreased from 4 to 1.7, and the average length of stay decreased 17% from 2.84 to 2.39. The authors were able to conclude that 2 consecutive months without falls supports the positive impact of the program in preventing falls when compared to another comparable unit without the program.

Rochon R, Salazar L

Keywords: falls, patient safety, PDSA model