PREVENTING HOSPITAL FALLS 2
Preventing Hospital Falls
Hospital falls are among the most common challenges that are experienced in many
hospitals. As a result, patients affected may incur more injuries which impact more on their
healing processes. Preventing hospital falls is the most fundamental responsibility of the
hospital management. This can be through the modification of infrastructure like the hospital
bedding, floor and decentralization of services in the hospital facilities. In this research work,
we shall discuss on the prevention of hospital falls based on the knowledge gained during the
Professional Capstone and Practicum course.
New Practice Approaches
Prevention of hospital falls been approached through many ways, depending on the
hospital. However, a collaborative approach was formed, following the “Joint Commission
Center for Transformation Healthcare” project that included a team of 7 hospitals in the
United States. One the measures to be undertaken to reduce hospital falls include designing an
organization culture that commits to fall safety. Secondly, the Commission proposed that
patients and families should be engaged in the falls safety process. The hospital management
should also outline a falls assessment tool. Furthermore, caregiver-patient relationships should
also be strengthened. These approaches are also adopted in the practicum
Intra-professional collaboration
Some hospitals falls are linked to improper communication between the doctors,
nurses, as well as other caregivers, assigned. During the Practicum session, communication
among the staff was considered the priority in combating health challenges. To undertake any
process regarding the patients, members of the staff were encouraged to make the right
consultation. Also, the caregivers are always instructed to pay close attention to the needs of
the patients and provide the necessary support (Hempel, 2013). This helps to reduce cases of
falls that result from unaided patient movements.
