Organizing and Implementing a Fall Prevention Program

In long-term care facilities, between one-half and three-quarters of residents fall each year. In an era where both the cost of care and resident outcomes are on the feds’ radar, preventing falls needs to be a top priority for administrators. The organization and implementation of fall prevention activities within long-term care facilities require is a two-step process: 

• First, it’s essential to have a baseline knowledge of falls. This helps build clinical processes that enable nurses to prevent falls.  
• Second, there are several organizational steps that are crucial to support both the efforts of frontline bedside nurses in preventing falls and the successful implementation of fall prevention programs. 

This course is designed to:

• Assist long-term care administrators in organizing and implementing fall prevention programs.
• Provide nurse educators with an understanding of the clinical and organizational aspects of successful fall prevention programs and their implementation. In turn, educators can use this material to develop in-services that support staff in their fall prevention efforts.

Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. List reasons for falls occur in long-term care facilities. 
2. State the importance of the fall prevention process in reducing fall risk. 
3. Explain key organizational steps needed to implement a fall prevention program.
4. Discuss the importance of administrative leadership in organizing and implementing fall prevention activities.

Curriculum

Chapter 1: Knowing About Falls

• Why Falls Occur
• Where Falls Occur 
• When Falls Occur
• How Falls Occur

Chapter 2: Adhering to a Clinical Process

• Assessing Fall Risk
• Communicating Risk
• Multidisciplinary Evaluation
• Care Planning
• Post-Fall Assessment
• Monitoring

Chapter 3: Organizing and Implementing a Fall Prevention Program

• Establish a “Culture of Safety”
• Appoint a Falls Nurse Coordinator or Champion
• Promote Education
• Develop a Fall Management Committee
• Piloting the Fall Prevention Program
• Conduct Quality Improvement Activities
• Administrative Support

Chapter 4: The Bottom Line

Chapter 5: References

• California Bill 241
• Implicit Bias in Healthcare
• What is Implicit Bias?
• Implications of Implicit Bias in Healthcare
• How to Reduce Implicit Bias