Adding targeted multiple interventions to standard fall prevention interventions reduces falls in an acute care setting
- Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Correspondence to Patricia C Dykes
Program Director, Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice, and Program Director, Center for Nursing Excellence, Brigham & Women's Hospital, 1 Brigham Circle, Boston, MA 02120, USA; pdykes{at}partners.org
Implications for practice and research
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Multiple intervention strategies that are targeted to patient-specific areas of risk prevent patient falls.
Context
Patient falls are a commonly occurring adverse event in acute care hospitals. Risk factors for falls are well established. Until recently, there were no intervention protocols known to prevent falls in acute hospital settings.1
Methods
Ang et al conducted a prospective randomised control trial (RCT) on eight units in an acute care hospital to evaluate the effectiveness of targeted multiple interventions. Patients were screened for fall risk on admission using the Hendrich II Falls Risk Model (HFRM). …
