Augmenting an Inpatient Fall Program With Video Observation.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare technology
• Patient safety research
• Clinical intervention studies

Background:

• Patient falls are a significant, preventable healthcare-associated event, posing risks and costs to facilities.
• Healthcare facilities are increasingly adopting technology to improve patient outcomes and safety.
• The orthopedic unit at the host facility previously experienced a fall rate of 2.6 per 1000 patient-days.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of video observation technology in reducing patient falls.
• To assess the impact of a specific technological intervention on fall rates within an orthopedic unit.

Main Methods:

• Patients on an inpatient orthopedic unit with a fall risk score exceeding 13 (using the Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool) were targeted.
• An intervention involving video observation units with two-way communication was implemented for these high-risk patients.
• The intervention was applied for a duration of six weeks.

Main Results:

• Following the implementation of video observation, the patient fall rate in the orthopedic unit decreased to 0 falls per 1000 patient-days.
• A complete elimination of patient falls was observed during the six-week intervention period.

Conclusions:

• Video observation technology proved highly effective in preventing patient falls within the studied orthopedic unit.
• The intervention resulted in a 100% reduction in patient falls, demonstrating its significant impact on patient safety.