ED Manag. 2015 Dec;27(12):Suppl 1-4.
Noting that there are far too many falls in healthcare settings, The Joint Commission (TJC) has issued a Sentinel Event Alert, telling hospitals and other providers to take steps to identify patients at risk for a fall, and implement preventive interventions. However, while most falls occur in hospitals, preventing falls in the emergency setting presents some unique challenges. Since 2009, TJC says it has received 465 reports of patient falls with serious injury, and more than half of these have resulted in death. Most fall risk assessment tools are too cumbersome and take too long to complete at triage in the ED. The ED at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT, has implemented a streamlined risk assessment tool with just five "yes or no" factors for the triage nurse to consider. In concert with the risk assessment tool, the hospital has implemented a series of prevention interventions, including hourly rounding, bed alarms, post-fall huddles, and a non-punitive culture for reporting falls.
注意到医疗机构中跌倒事件过多，联合委员会（TJC）发布了一份《警示事件警报》，要求医院和其他医疗服务提供者采取措施识别有跌倒风险的患者，并实施预防干预措施。然而，虽然大多数跌倒事件发生在医院，但在急诊环境中预防跌倒存在一些独特的挑战。自2009年以来，TJC表示已收到465份患者严重受伤跌倒的报告，其中一半以上导致死亡。大多数跌倒风险评估工具过于繁琐，在急诊科分诊时完成评估耗时过长。康涅狄格州哈特福德市哈特福德医院的急诊科采用了一种简化的风险评估工具，分诊护士只需考虑五个“是或否”因素。与风险评估工具相配合，该医院实施了一系列预防干预措施，包括定时查房、床位警报、跌倒后会诊，以及对跌倒报告采取非惩罚性的文化。
