Fall Prevention Programs in Hospitals and the Role of Technology

Technology stepping in to keep patient's up

Fall prevention programs in hospitals aim to prevent patient trauma from falling. The following are some programs ranging from assessment to technology like artificial intelligence.

Why Is Fall Prevention Important in Hospitals?

Patient falls in hospitals harm both the person and the medical facility. In one US study, it was shown that approximately 700,000 to 1,000,000 patients fall in hospitals each year. Of those fallen:

Up to 250,000 suffer some form of injury ranging from lacerations, fractures to internal bleeding.

Up to 25,000 of those injured are severe enough to delay discharge or require further treatment, like in head trauma cases.

Up to 11,000 falls are fatal.

The above sobering figures do not measure the psychological toll falls. Patients may suffer distress, fear, and anxiety that they’ll fall again. This may lead them to refuse to move for the simplest of activities like using the bathroom. This lack of activity saps their remaining strength and increases the likelihood for yet another fall.

Finally, patient falls can affect a hospital’s diagnosis-related grouping (DRG). This is the figure Medicare and some insurance policies use to pay hospitals treating their patients. Many refuse to pay for injuries suffered in falls. This in turn forces hospitals to cover the expense from their already limited budget.

In summary, falls may result in physical and psychological injury to the patient and severe financial loss to the hospital.

How Do Hospitals Prevent Patient Falls?

Healthcare, unsurprisingly, is keen on fall prevention programs. Fortunately, research has shown between 20 to 30 percent of patient falls can be prevented.

Three standard prevention plans are:

Patient risk assessment

Safety rounding

Keeping patients busy

Risk Assessment

Risk assessment involves medical staff examining the patient to see if they’re at high risk for falling. Factors include:

Is the patient confused? Disoriented? Can’t think or remember clearly?

Are they suffering from anemia or chronic kidney disease?

Do they have the strength to move about on their own?

On any medications that cause dizziness like benzodiazepines, which can increase fall risk by nearly 50 percent?

Are they in new or unfamiliar environments?

All this information is entered into the patient’s electronic medical record (EMR).

Many hospital fall prevention programs incorporate visual cues like patients wearing red socks or a color-coded armband like yellow. This makes identifying high-risk fall patients easy and quick for staff.

Safety rounding

Safety rounding is done in addition to the typical hourly hospital rounds. In this safety program, hospital staff re-checks high-risk patients’ pain levels, bed positions, and restroom use. At the same time, all fall precautions are examined:

Is their room uncluttered?

Their alarm is still in place (and working)?

Is the patient wearing the right socks or armband?

Staff members enter all this information into the patient’s records through the room’s PC or medical tablet.

Keeping patients busy

It’s well-known many patients leave their beds out of sheer boredom. This, in turn, increases the risk of falling.

This fall prevention program has hospital staff giving activities to patients to keep them occupied. By engaging them with activities like reading or doing crosswords, the thinking goes, they won’t be bored. The hope is to minimize fall risks. R

What is an Example of a Fall Prevention Program in a Hospital?

Many fall prevention programs in hospitals fall under universal fall precautions. They’re called “universal” because all patients are affected regardless of their fall risk.

Many do so by:

Ensuring the patients wear comfortable, well-fitting, non-slip, color-coded footwear (if necessary as described above).

Familiarizing them with their room.

Having sturdy handrails in the patient’s room, bathrooms, and hospital hallways.

Keeping their possessions within a safe reaching distance.

Make sure the call light is within the patient's reach.

Placing their bed in a low position when they’re resting in it.

Universal fall precautions can be tailored to a patient’s individual needs. For example, if they have fallen in the past, they may be given hip protectors as a precaution against future injuries. Bed alarms may be installed. This way, patients who are forgetful in calling for assistance when walking can first be helped by alerted staff.

Technologies for Fall Prevention in Hospitals

Hospitals are increasingly turning to technologies to prevent falls.

Pressure pads

Pressure pads alert hospital staff if the more shaky patient attempts to get up out of bed. Unfortunately, this can raise false alarms as the pads can’t tell if the patient is shifting while asleep or reaching for their smartphone.

Virtual patient sitters

Virtual patient sitters use remote continuous video monitoring technology to monitor high-risk patients. Unlike pressure pads, the monitoring staff can easily see if the patient is truly trying to leave their bed. Also, they can tell them to stop via the two-way speaker system or at least stall them until staff arrives.

Artificial intelligence

AI systems use advanced pressure pads, sensors, and video to keep track of patients. When movement is detected, algorithms determine what the patient is doing and any risk of a fall. The AI will then alert hospital staff if a fall is possible.

Closing Thoughts

Falls in hospitals can devastate the patients and the medical facilities. Fall prevention programs are thus important and range from patient assessment for fall risk to universal programs.

Contact an expert at Cybernet if you want to enhance your healthcare group’s hospital programs in fall prevention with medical computers and tablets.