Three essentials for successful fall management: communication, policies and procedures, and teamwork.
Falls among older adults, especially within the nursing home setting, can be challenging for health care providers. Attention to the basic processes of communication, policy and procedure, and teamwork proved to be necessary steps to facilitate successful fall management within this pilot program. This article provides an overview of the specified areas, along with examples of techniques developed to address identified needs in each of the three areas. A focused examination of these three essentials could prove instructive to any facility working to improve its fall management process.
Wright
Sara
S
Pennsylvania Restraint Reduction Initiative, Kendal Outreach LLC/The Kendal Corporation, Kennett Square, PA 19348, USA. swright@kcorp.kendal.org
Goldman
Beryl
B
Beresin
Neil
N
D000056:Accident Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D003142:Communication; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000458:organization & administration; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000458:organization & administration; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010414:Pennsylvania; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D018570:Risk Assessment