The Falls Toolkit

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The Falls Toolkit

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Presentation Outline

• Background on Falls
• Impetus for Project
• Content of Toolkit
• Examples of website

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Prevalence and severity

• Falls are the leading cause of death due to
  injury for people 65 years and older (NCIPC 2002)
• 75 of nursing home residents expected to fall
  each year (Rubenstein 1994)
• By 2040 estimate of 500,000 hip fractures per
  year (Cooper 1992, Brainsky 1997)
• Following a hip fracture 17 to 32 mortality
  (Kannis et al 2003)

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Financial Impact of Falls
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Impetus
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Impetus
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Need for a Falls Toolkit Results of Survey of
Patient Safety Managers
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Beta-testing

• NCPS asked 8 facilities and one subject matter
  expert to review the contents of the toolkit
• The sites found the toolkit to be useful,
  practical and easy to understand
• Based on the responses, NCPS modified the toolkit
  by
• Adding additional articles for the annotated
  reference list
• Modified the format of the toolkit for ease of use

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Contents of Toolkit

• Notebook
• Developing a falls program
• Assembling interdisciplinary team
• Sample policy
• Interventions
• Environmental
• For specific populations
• Measuring success
• Annotated bibliography

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Included in the Toolkit

• Annotated Reference List

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Included in the Toolkit

• Posters, fliers and brochures
• Increase awareness
• Patient staff education

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Included in Toolkit

• Buttons and Videos

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Included in Toolkit

• CD-ROM
• Electronic versions of all print materials
• Additional resources
• Technology Assessment Guide
• Education Resource Guide
• Power Point presentations

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Educational Resource Guide
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The Falls Toolkit Website
www.patientsafety.gov/fallstoolkit
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Distribution Plan

• 2 copies distributed to each Patient Safety
  Manager
• 3 copies distributed to each Patient Safety
  Officer
• Materials put on internet and intranet

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Using the Falls Toolkit

• Create and improve a comprehensive falls
  prevention program across the facility
• The Aggregated Review Team for Falls
• Analyze data collected as part of the root cause
  analysis
• Develop actions and outcome measures

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Using the Falls Toolkit

• The Interdisciplinary Falls Team
• Development of an interdisciplinary team for
  falls
• Implement interventions across the facility that
  can reduce falls and fall-related injuries
• Front-line Staff
• Implement interventions based on the patient needs

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Contacting the National Center for Patient Safety

• Erik Stalhandske, MPP, MHSA
• Email Erik.Stalhandske_at_med.va.gov
• VA National Center for Patient Safety
• Phone [phone]
• www.patientsafety.gov/fallstoolkit
• vaww.ncps.med.va.gov/fallstoolkit