People who are at risk of falling represent about 8% to 10% of the U.S. population, and a fall can occur at any time, regardless of the environment. A person may be at even a higher risk during hospitalizations, long-term stays, outpatient procedures, and tests. It is important to note that many individuals are also unaware of their risk of falling, and few events have such devastating consequences as an injurious patient fall, with all its human and financial costs. Organizations routinely evaluate their fall prevention programs and are electing to transition to programs that include evidence-based practices that incorporate education, interventional strategies, and evaluation tools that assist front-line managers. Organizations are working to embrace a culture of safety.
Most hospitals have always had some type of patient fall prevention program, yet few have had effective, patient-centric programs that encompass injury-free outcomes on a consistent basis. Since the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published Crossing the Quality Chasm, in which the 6 aims for health system transformation were described, there has been an evolutionary shift in the conversation around patient safety. Creating safe, effective, patient-centric, timely, efficient, and equitable care has become the framework for the national patient safety movement, built upon clinically excellent care.
The goals of all modern healthcare organizations are:
The electronic record is at the center of the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) goal of eliminating most handwritten clinical data by the end of this decade. Electronic records are superior to paper records because they decrease error due to handwriting problems and ease physical storage requirements. Additionally, electronic records simultaneously leverage other error-reducing technologies, and evidenced-based clinical assessment models to render them coherent. The IOM envisions a longitudinal collection of electronic health information for and about individuals and populations as feeding data into error-reducing “knowledge and decision support systems.”
Healthcare organizations must consider the use of a fall risk assessment model that is evidenced-based, and supported by educational programming to demonstrate competency and compliance with it use within clinical practice. Effective fall programs must be able to accurately assess true fall risk in all patient populations.
Effective electronic records will demonstrate the ability to generate reports that represent true and accurate fall data, that can identify trends that lead to the development of improvement strategies, and assist front-line managers with on-going fall reduction efforts.
The Hendrich II Fall Risk Model© (H2Model) has been selected by numerous healthcare organizations as the best model for incorporation into their electronic health record systems since 2006.
The H2Model is one part of the Upright™ System, designed to partner with your organization to help meet national regulatory requirements and industry standards, to strengthen patient safety initiatives, improve quality outcomes, and promote sensible resource management.
The Upright System is a comprehensive fall-prevention, risk-management, and intervention system that utilizes the H2Model and incorporates 3 unique components:
These components support our licensed partners and help them reduce the occurrence of predictable and, therefore, preventable falls to improve safety and quality outcomes for the patients in their care.
The H2Model helps your staff accurately predict fall risk – without over-targeting your population. The H2Model is evidenced-based, effective, and widely recognized as a superior fall risk assessment tool in the healthcare industry for both its inter-rater reliability and its high level of sensitivity to patient populations. The H2Model helps nurses predict fall risk through evidenced-based assessments and interventional strategies that are aligned with each risk factor in the model to help reduce or eliminate predictable falls. This proactive approach can help reduce facility liability, while helping to demonstrate your adherence to national standards and regulatory guidelines to improve the quality of patient care.
Developed for nurses by nurses, our CE-approved, computer-based education incorporates online resources for knowledge and skills transfer. These resources include risk factor assessment, interventions aligned with fall prevention strategies, and patient and family education. The program also includes tools to help the provider comply with regulatory standards and continuous quality improvement initiatives.
Our extensive Resource Guide of tests, tools, and forms will help you implement and evaluate the fall prevention program in your facility. The guide is part a comprehensive fall program designed to assist you build an environment and culture of patient safety at the unit level. We want you to think of us as your partner – your source for fall prevention information.