Fall risk in patients with acute psychosis

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Geriatrics
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Patients with psychotic disorders in acute care settings are at high risk for falls.
• Complex medication regimens for managing agitation, lability, and aggression can cause physiological instability.
• This instability may be overlooked by clinicians, increasing fall risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify prescribing practices linked to fall risk in acute psychiatric care.
• To implement a monitoring system for pharmacological treatments.
• To reduce the incidence of patient falls.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement initiative was conducted.
• Prescribing patterns associated with fall risk were analyzed.
• A mechanism for monitoring medication was established.

Main Results:

• The initiative successfully identified key prescribing practices contributing to fall risk.
• Implementation of the monitoring mechanism was achieved.
• A significant reduction in the fall rate was observed, decreasing from 6.0 to 0.46.

Conclusions:

• Targeted monitoring of pharmacological treatments can mitigate fall risks in psychiatric patients.
• Quality improvement initiatives focusing on medication management are effective in enhancing patient safety.
• Reducing fall rates is achievable through careful assessment of medication side effects and prescribing patterns.