Season 2 - Episode 8: Falls & Falls Prevention with Kim Young

What if you or a loved one goes into the hospital for a treatable condition only to end up with a completely unrelated health problem while admitted? It happens and is a perennial issue. Almost one-million Americans experience falls in the healthcare systems every year.

In this episode of GuideWire, Devin Hubbard with FastTraCS talks to Kim Young, Clinical Senior Management Engineer in the Office of Quality Excellence and Performance Improvement at UNC Health, about falls and preventing them.

Today’s Topics Include:

Quality Coach: Why falls matter to Kim - it’s a really big, persistent problem
Fiscal Year: Out of 850 falls, ~20% were injured and had to be treated because of fall
Fall Defined: Anytime somebody hits the floor when assisted or not
Financial Impact: Extending length of stay and who covers costs is a concern
Who falls? Assessment is conducted for patient factors that predispose them to falls
Where do patients fall in hospitals? All over, but mostly when going to the bathroom
Why do patients fall then? Want to maintain independence, mobility, and privacy
Ways to proactively prevent falls: Accompany and assess patient, use of alarms/aids
Rounds/Telesitter: Ask, remind patients if they want help; time consuming and laborious
What’s needed? Some type of technology or way patients don’t get injured due to falls
Future of Falls: Improvement and innovation is needed for more elegant solutions