Innovating Fall Safety: Engaging Patients as Experts.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety Research
• Clinical Intervention Studies

Background:

• Hospitalized patients experience frequent falls, with nearly one million falls annually.
• Current fall risk identification and prevention strategies are primarily clinician-driven, neglecting crucial patient input.
• Despite below-average overall fall rates, injury-related falls met or exceeded national averages, highlighting a need for improved patient engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a collaborative fall intervention on patient knowledge and fall incidence.
• To assess the effectiveness of a patient fall assessment tool in enhancing patient involvement in safety planning.
• To improve patient-clinician collaboration in fall prevention strategies.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement study was conducted to examine the effects of a collaborative intervention.
• The patient fall assessment tool was implemented to foster collaborative safety discussions.
• Key metrics included patient knowledge in action and the incidence of patient falls.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant improvement was observed in patient participation in safety plan development (P = .0007).
• The intervention led to a 25% reduction in total patient falls.
• A significant 67% reduction in injury falls was achieved.

Conclusions:

• The patient fall assessment tool shows promise as an effective strategy for engaging patients in their safety planning.
• This approach can positively influence safety partnerships between patients and healthcare providers.
• Collaborative safety planning involving patients may lead to a reduction in fall-related injuries.