5 Easy Steps to Prevent Falls: The Comprehensive Guide to Keeping Patients of All Ages Safe

Despite new approaches, education and increased focus on preventative measures, patients are still falling. The facts are undeniable: up to 50% of hospitalized patients are at risk for falls, and almost half of those who fall suffer an injury. Falls not only impact patients, they also directly affect an organization’s cost per case. The average hospital stay for patients who fall is 12.3 days longer for those who don’t, and injuries from falls lead to a 61 percent increase in patient-care costs. 5 Easy Steps to Prevent Falls: a must-have, comprehensive, user-friendly guide for all practicing nurses working in hospitals, long-term care or other health care organizations. Complete with colour photographs that highlight high-risk areas for falls and injury potential along with educational tips on how nurses can prevent falls and teach patients to do so as well, this book is divided into five easy-to-read chapters. It breaks down how to elicit those critical elements necessary to reduce and/or prevent patient falls across the care continuum. You will learn how to assess at-risk patients and those who have recently fallen through various tried-and-true techniques, assessment tools and teaching strategies, including how to: Determine the what-when-where-and-why the fall occurred based on current science. Identify key symptoms associated with preventable falls and medical emergencies. Safely administer basic tests of gait and balance. Recognize and assess patients for orthostatic hypotension. Identify early signs of post-fall injuries (including head injuries). Visualize firsthand high-risk environmental hazards causing falls and how to make them safe for patients. Gain insight on teaching techniques to optimize patient skill about falls prevention. Chock-full of evidence-based practice suggestions related to the primary and secondary prevention of falls, web-based resources, national clinical practice guidelines, clinical tips and special considerations for unique populations. This useful guide also illustrates how to effectively communicate and educate patients using the teach-back method.

Table of Contents:
A Public Health Perspective and Background Information on Falls and Falls Prevention A Public Health Approach to Falls and Fall-Related Injury Prevention Significance of Falls in America Levels of Prevention Where People Fall: Place of Occurrence Falls and Fall-related Injuries among Older Adults Language and Terms Used to Describe Falls within Public Health Case Definitions of Falls by National Organizations Risk to Fall and Risk to Injure: Use of Fall Risk Screening Tools Modifiable or Potentially Reversible Fall Risk Factors Fall Injury Reduction Injury Severity Preventing Injurious Falls Measuring Falls Mechanisms for Patient Falls within Healthcare Facilities Types of Patient Falls References Step 1. Eliciting a Fall-Focused Health History Broad Public Health Service Objective Educational Learner Outcomes References Step 2. Conducting a Fall-Focused Physical Assessment Broad Public Health Service Objective: Monitor Health Status to Identify and Solve Community Problems Vital Signs Visual Acuity Cardiovascular Assessment Pulmonary System Gastrointestinal System Musculoskeletal System Other Considerations Assessment of Functional Reach by Trained Occupational and Physical Therapists Inspection for Suspected Post-Fall Injury Useful Screening Measures References and Resources Step 3. Detecting Environmental Hazards and Modifying the Environment for Patient and Healthcare Worker Safety Broad Public Health Service Objective: Assuring a Competent Workforce by Diagnosing and Investigating Health Problems in the Community Falls at Home: The Community Setting Hospital and Long-Term Care Setting Falls in the Environment Equipment Environmental Safety (Outdoors and at Home) Environmental Safety Checklist in the Home Roles and Responsibilities of Nurses and Other Interdisciplinary Team Members in Falls and Injury Prevention Environmental Rounds in the Healthcare Setting Environmental Modifications for Patients at High Risk to Injure References and Resources Five Easy Steps to Prevent Falls: The Comprehensive Guide to Keeping Patients of All Ages Safe Step 4. Diagnosing and Communicating the Fall Type and Developing an Interprofessional Plan of Care Broad Public Health Service Objectives: Three Community-based Objectives Integrating the Historical Data, Physical Examination Findings and Environmental Assessment Effective Communication and Handoff for Falls Prevention Team STEPPS: Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety Handoffs Signage Walking Rounds Patient and Environmental Safety Checks Teamwork, Fall Champions, and Promoting a Culture of Safety Falls Management Plan References Step 5. Informing, Educating, and Empowering Patients Broad Public Health Service Objective: Inform, Educate and Empower People Core Ingredients of the Teaching Plan Use of Teach-Backs for Falls Prevention Education References Index

About the Author :
Deanna Gray-Miceli, PhD, GNP, FAANP, FAAN is assistant professor at Rutgers University School of Nursing, Newark, New Jersey, and adjunct assistant professor, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Dr. Gray-Miceli is a clinical scholar and national falls prevention expert whose main focus is on the development and testing of a comprehensive post-fall assessment for RNs to use in practice, which is called the Post Fall Index (PFI). Shown to be effective in reducing falls, the PFI aids professional nurses as a decision support tool to help determine why the fall occurred in the first place.