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Educational Program on Risk Management - Part One

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Educational Program on Risk Management - Part One

Introduction

Patient falls in healthcare facilities are among the significant issues threatening patient

safety. A study conducted on healthcare and socio-economic effects of patient falls shows that

they are several, and they all point toward serious complications and financial burdens on these

individuals. Handling patient falls is hence vital since it impacts the quality of care and the

healthcare provision costs (Ishii et al., 2023). Additionally, patients can harm the public

perception of a facility, especially when individuals face intense harm due to falls.

Rationale

As much as the number of falls reported within the healthcare premises has risen, little

has been done to address this issue. Much attempt has been incorporated into curbing other

factors hindering patient safety, such as minimization of medical errors, but not much has been

done to minimize r avoid patient falls within the healthcare setting. Actualizing an approach will

hence help the facility reduce patient falls and related costs (Ishii et al., 2023). The JC suggests

that each healthcare facility include patient care and training safety measures. This approach will

assist with the organization's compliance with the JCs suggestion for patient safety.

Support

The Joint Commission records multiple patient falls cases within its facilities annually

(Davis & McCauley, 2023). Also, more than 50% of these patients fall, contributing to severe

and minor complications that need an extended stay and additional healthcare costs of up to a

week (Warren et al., 2021). The extra cost is, in most cases, undertaken by the federal

government through the national health insurance plans of the individuals themselves. Taking

this into consideration, we conclude that this only results in more pressure on the already limited
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healthcare resources, making healthcare cost more expensive than it already is (Ishii et al., 2023).

Therefore, there is a need to address patient falls through prevention and minimization.

Implementation

Actualization commences with identifying high-risk patients (Shankar & Li, 2023),

followed by training on the effect of patient falls on patients and the facility. All individuals in

the organization should fathom the impact of patient falls to appreciate and respond positively to

the mitigation measures. Secondly, the organization will establish an awareness initiative about

applicable patient falls mitigation approaches with a target on the floor making, lighting

measures, and guard rails installation to help physically weak patients move around (WHO,

2021). The actualization will emphasize the nurses' responsibility and relatives' role in helping

their patients easily navigate the facility and providing assisted living technologies.

Challenges

One of the most probable challenges the organization may experience when actualizing

this strategy is getting the management to approve floor renovation to enhance the facility

premises and increase conduciveness for moving around. Some of the physical modifications

needed include decreasing the slippery nature of the floor and improving the lighting and guard

rails installation. These modifications will incur costs that the management is likely to object to.

Also, nurses may be resistant to change, maybe due to time taken for training or being used to

the old ways (Johnston & Magnan, 2019).

Evaluations

The strategy's success rate may be evaluated by incorporating both qualitative and

quantitative data. Patients and visitors could issue their two cents on the floor modification's
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effectiveness and the guard rails' advantages. Additionally, the rate of reported patient falls pre

and post-implementation can be used as an evaluation strategy.

Opportunities

As much as it may be impossible to eliminate patient falls, the facility could need nurses

to ensure time-to-time assessment of the physically weak patients and evaluate their needs. This

will facilitate constant watch of these patients and assurance that they are not vulnerable to falls.

They could also issue what they require to minimize their need to walk unsupervised (Ngasa,

2023). They could also incorporate physical therapy sessions to monitor their motor stability so

that they can assess their chances of falling.

References

Davis, A. H., & McCauley, A. J. (2023). Evidence-Based Pearls: Falls in the Intensive Care

Unit. Critical Care Nursing Clinics, 35(2), 161-170.

Ishii, T., Matsumoto, W., Hoshino, Y., Kagawa, Y., Iwasaki, E., Takada, H., ... & Oyama, K.

(2023). Walking aids and complicated orthopedic diseases are risk factors for falls in

hemodialysis patients: an observational study. BMC geriatrics, 23(1), 1-10.

Johnston, M., & Magnan, M. A. (2019). Using a fall prevention checklist to reduce hospital falls

results of a quality improvement project. AJN The American Journal of Nursing, 119(3),

43-49.

Ngassa, R. E. (2023). The Effect of Hourly Rounding in Reducing Fall Incidence Among High

Risk Geriatric Patients in a Nursing Facility (Doctoral dissertation, University of

Massachusetts Global).

Shankar, K. N., & Li, A. (2023). Older Adult Falls in Emergency Medicine, 2023 Update—

clinics in Geriatric Medicine.

Warren, C., Rizo, E., Decker, E., & Hasse, A. (2023). A Comprehensive Analysis of Risk

FactorsAssociated with Inpatient Falls. Journal of Patient Safety, 10-1097.

World Health Organization. (2021). Step safely: strategies for preventing and managing falls

across the life course.