Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

A Multifactorial Falls Program to Reduce Injury from Falls

Reducing and eliminating patient harm are at the forefront of patient safety and continue to be a national focus. Falls, especially those that result in patient injury, are a significant concern for patients, families and all nurses and medical staff. All patients entering a hospital are at an increased risk for a fall due to their illness and presence in an unfamiliar environment. Organizations aim to have all necessary interventions in place to eliminate preventable falls and mitigate patients’ risk for injury. Patients need to be at the center of care as it relates to fall prevention by targeting individualized risk factors and implementing a personalized plan of care.

Fall prevention promotes health and well-being, enhances the patient experience and decreases overall hospital costs. The implementation of a comprehensive fall bundle reduced the organization's falls with injury rate by more than 40 percent in the past year.

This case study is part of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association's annual Quality Excellence Achievement Awards. Each year, IHA recognizes and celebrates the achievements of Illinois hospitals and health systems in continually improving and transforming health care in the state. These organizations are improving health by striving to achieve the Triple Aim—improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction), improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of health care—and the Institute of Medicine’s six aims for improvement—safe, effective, patient centered, timely, efficient, and equitable. To learn more, visit https://www.ihaqualityawards.org/javascript-ui/IHAQualityAward/