New Toolkit for Fall Prevention in Hospitals
AHRQ: New online toolkit released, Preventing Falls in Hospitals: A Toolkit for Improving Quality of Care.
Each year, somewhere between 700,000 and 1,000,000 people in the United States fall in the hospital. A fall may result in fractures, lacerations, or internal bleeding, leading to increased health care utilization. Research shows that close to one-third of falls can be prevented. Fall prevention involves managing a patient’s underlying fall risk factors and optimizing the hospital’s physical design and environment. This toolkit focuses on overcoming the challenges associated with developing, implementing, and sustaining a fall prevention program.
Available here: http://1.usa.gov/12Pf3j3