Patient injuries sustained from a fall while hospitalized are a never event. Rev
ID: 107093 • Letter: P
Question
Patient injuries sustained from a fall while hospitalized are a never event.
Review the following e-book available in excelsior library:
Morse, J. (2009). Preventing patient falls. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/excelsior/reader.action?docID=10273903
Initial Discussion Post:
A patient has just fallen in the hospital unit where you work and fractured their skull. A team of personnel are asked to collaborate and develop a fall prevention program that includes using the Morse Fall Scale.
In your initial discussion post
Identify the members included on the team
Identify the components used in the Morse Fall Risk Scale
Identify key points when developing a fall prevention plan
Base your initial post on your readings and research of this topic. Your initial post must contain a minimum of 250 words. References, citations, and repeating the question do not count towards the 250 word minimum.
Explanation / Answer
ANSWER:
A fall is defined as an “unintentional event in which a patient comes to rest on the floor and can involve assistance by another”
Fall prevention needs to becustomized
Each patient has a different set of fall risk factors, so care must thoughtfully address each patient's unique needs.
Members included on the team :
Nurses, physicians, pharmacists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, patients, and families need to cooperate to prevent falls.
Components used in the Morse Fall Risk Scale :
1) TOOL 3A
This tool can be used by the hospital Unit Team in designing the new system, as a training tool for frontline staff, and as an ongoing clinical reference tool on the units. This tool can be modified, or a new one created, to meet the needs of your particular setting.
2) Fall risk score is associated with a standard set of interventions that is not customized to individual patients' needs.
Key points when developing a fall prevention plan :
1) Care planning and interventions that address the identified risk factors within the overall care plan for the patient.
2) Postfall procedures, including a clinical review and root cause analysis
The goal of patient safety practices like fall prevention is to have prevent additional harm to patients while they are hospitalized. Hand hygiene to prevent spread of nosocomial infection is an example of a patient safety practice that avoids patient harm without interfering with the patient's medical care.
A key point to remember is that fall prevention alone cannot be the goal of a fall prevention program