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Essay / Steps in a strategic action plan - 1526
Fall prevention should be the target of many hospitals. Falls occur every year in hospitals and can be detrimental to the patient, especially older patients (Peel, Travers, Bell, & Smith, 2010). Falls can lead to broken bones, longer hospital stays and potentially death. Falls are costly for both the patient and the hospital (Trépanier and Hilsenbeck, 2014). This article wishes to examine a strategic action plan that would help prevent falls. This action plan will include organizational changes focused on falls prevention. The second part of this document will include an evaluation plan designed to measure and monitor the plan. Strategic Action Plan Assessing the reason for the falls would be the first step in the plan. Is there a repeat of the reason for the fall (Olrich, Kalman, & Nigolian, 2012)? For example, are there frequent falls at a certain time of day, such as during shift change? It may also be helpful to know if the fall is related to attachments such as IV poles or Foley catheters. It may also be a good idea to consider the type of patient who fell. Would the patient be confused at the time of the fall? Is there a history of dementia in the patient who fell? Once all information is collected, relevant information could be categorized into groups that would help decipher the best course of action to prevent falls. The plan must be written and approved by nursing managers and can be implemented by clinical leaders involved in the unit. Although each unit is different, some ways of preventing falls are similar across all units in the hospital and a team should be formed that would use the information...... middle of paper ...... l importance of preventing falls for patients in the unit (Roussel, 2013). Further evaluation would determine whether the established plan was successful in reducing the number of falls or whether the plan needs to be revised. If changes need to occur, the written guidelines should be reviewed and shared with staff so that this review can take place. Outcomes of Fall Prevention Many hospital staff hope and aim to help reduce the number of falls in the hospital setting. . The hope is to establish a plan that will help nurses reduce the number of falls. Falls can be extremely harmful to older adults. Preventing falls is an essential goal that will lead to better outcomes for the patient and the hospital. An evaluation of the action plan will also be planned so that revisions can be made if necessary to reduce the number of patient falls...