Innovating Fall Safety: Engaging Patients as Experts

• Published in: Journal of nursing care quality Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 220 - 226
• Main Authors: Radecki, Bethany, Keen, Alyson, Miller, Joan, McClure, Janelle K., Kara, Areeba
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved 01-07-2020; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Accident prevention; Accidental Falls - prevention & control; Accidental Falls - statistics & numerical data; Aged; Diffusion of Innovation; Falls; Health risk assessment; Humans; Incidence; Inpatient care; Patient Participation; Patient safety; Quality Improvement; Quality standards; Risk Assessment; Safety Management; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 1057-3631; 1550-5065
• DOI: 10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000447

Injury falls are common, with nearly a million hospitalized patients falling annually. Fall risk identification and prevention are largely clinician-centric, lacking patient input.
Our fall rates were below the national mean; however, patients who fell and sustained injury were at or above the mean. We lacked processes that engaged patients as safety collaborators.
This was a quality improvement study examining the effect of a collaborative fall intervention on (1) patient knowledge in action and (2) incidence of falls.
The patient fall assessment tool was implemented to facilitate collaborative safety conversations.
We achieved a statistically significant improvement (P = .0007) in the patient's participation in the development of the safety plan, with a 25% reduction in total falls and a 67% reduction in injury falls.
The patient fall assessment tool may be a successful strategy to engage patients in the development of their safety plan and positively affect safety partnerships.