Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Preventing Patient Falls

Analyzing contributing factors and implementing targeted, sustainable solutions have helped hospitals prevent patient falls. Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, was one of several participating organizations in the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare project to prevent falls with injury. Wake Forest Baptist recruited a multidisciplinary project team, with members from pharmacy, nutrition, nursing, rehabilitation, legal, safety, and performance improvement. The team’s assessment identified several root causes for patient falls, including medication management, impaired mobility of patients, and call light and toileting issues. All root causes were addressed with innovative solutions. One intervention focused on patients in the oncology unit. These patients worked with an aide on routine mobility and activity, received physical therapy to improve balance, and did strengthening exercises. The average change from baseline showed a 27% decrease in falls and a 59% decrease in falls with injury. In addition, to help patients identified at high risk for falls, a video monitoring system was installed. Patients being monitored had a 16% decrease in falls and 41% decrease in falls with injury. To help sustain the improvements at Wake Forest Baptist, reporting on patient falls is part of a systemwide daily check-in to discuss and address quality and safety issues. 

For more information, contact Paula Faria, media relations, at pfaria@wakehealth.edu.

Read the AHA/HPOE guide for hospitals “Preventing Patient Falls: A Systematic Approach from the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare Project."