Patient falls make up approximately 2 percent of hospital adverse events. Here are five tips to reduce the occurrence of these complications, according to Fierce Healthcare.
1. Personalize a call alarm message. Recording a personalized call alarm message for patients, including saying their name, can help put them at ease and feel more comfortable in an unfamiliar setting.
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2. Available staff should respond to all call alarms. If a patient rings a call alarm, all available staff should respond to the alarm, even if the patient is not under their direct responsibility.
3. Indicate any required assistance in each room. Placing a sign in each patient's room indicating whether they require a walker, cane, or other walking aid ensures any person entering that room will know how to help the patient move.
4. Preemptively observe patient patterns. Healthcare providers should observe patients to become familiar with their characteristics and routines. When a provider knows when a patient is most likely to get up, he or she can proactively monitor the patient.
5. Share data at bedside handovers. During shift changes, nurses should introduce the oncoming nurse to the patient and discuss safety data and risk assessments.
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