January-February 2016 • Vol. 25/No. 1 17 CPT (R) Gwendolyn Godlock, MS-PSL, BSN, RN, AN, CPHQ, is Field Representative Nurse Surveyor, The Joint Commission, Oakbrook, Terrace, IL. CPT Mollie Christiansen, BSN, RN, AN, CMSRN, is Clinical Nurse Officer in Charge, Burn Progressive Care Unit, United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, Joint Base San Antonio Fort Sam Houston, TX. COL Laura Feider, PhD, RN, is Dean, School of Nursing Science and Chief, Department of Nursing Science, Army Medical Department Center and School, Health Readiness Center of Excellence, Joint Base San Antonio Fort Sam Houston, TX. Acknowledgments: The team would like to thank nursing leaders COL (R) Sheri Howell, for- mer Deputy Commander of Nursing and Chief of Staff; and COL Richard Evans, Assistant Deputy Chief Army Nurse Corps, for their support. A special acknowledgment for the former Chief, Medical Nursing Section, COL Vivian Harris, who remained a staunch supporter, advo- cate, and cheerleader, the Medical Section nursing staff, and the Center for Nursing Science and Clinical Inquiry. Note: The view(s) expressed herein are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of Brooke Army Medical Center, the U.S. Army Medical Department, the U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General, the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. Implementation of an Evidence-Based Patient Safety Team to Prevent Falls in Inpatient Medical Units T he Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services identified falls as a preventable health care acquired condition (DuPree, Fritz-Campiz, & Musheno, 2014). A large portion of the medical-surgical inpatient population is aging, and therefore at high risk for falls (Boltz, Capezuti, Wagner, Rosen berg, & Secic, 2013). Falls have physical and emotional implications for patients, as well as increased financial costs for facilities. Nationally, medical units have the highest rates of falls (Bouldin et al., 2013). Most notably, falls can cause significant injuries resulting in increased length of stay, unexpected surgeries, and even death (Williams, Szekendi, & Thomas, 2014). Historically medical-surgical nurses care for a mix of complex patients with an array of comorbidi- ties and patient needs (Carter & Burnette, 2011). Literature Review The literature search was limited to keyword searches on falls, team- work, patient safety, nursing, hourly rounding, and communication. Data - bases included PubMed, EBSCO, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, CINAHL, and The Joint Commission for years 2008-2014. Use of fall prevention teams was an emerging evidence-based practice (EBP) intervention to decrease the incidence of inpatient falls (Graham, 2012). Consistently, the evidence demonstrated ineffective communi- cation, situation awareness, team- work, assessment, hourly rounding, and environmental challenges as key factors related to preventable inpa- tient falls. Collectively, research.
January-February 2016 • Vol. 25/No. 1 17 CPT (R) Gwendolyn Godlock, MS-PSL, BSN, RN, AN, CPHQ, is Field Representative Nurse Surveyor, The Joint Commission, Oakbrook, Terrace, IL. CPT Mollie Christiansen, BSN, RN, AN, CMSRN, is Clinical Nurse Officer in Charge, Burn Progressive Care Unit, United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, Joint Base San Antonio Fort Sam Houston, TX. COL Laura Feider, PhD, RN, is Dean, School of Nursing Science and Chief, Department of Nursing Science, Army Medical Department Center and School, Health Readiness Center of Excellence, Joint Base San Antonio Fort Sam Houston, TX. Acknowledgments: The team would like to thank nursing leaders COL (R) Sheri Howell, for- mer Deputy Commander of Nursing and Chief of Staff; and COL Richard Evans, Assistant Deputy Chief Army Nurse Corps, for their support. A special acknowledgment for the former Chief, Medical Nursing Section, COL Vivian Harris, who remained a staunch supporter, advo- cate, and cheerleader, the Medical Section nursing staff, and the Center for Nursing Science and Clinical Inquiry. Note: The view(s) expressed herein are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of Brooke Army Medical Center, the U.S. Army Medical Department, the U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General, the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. Implementation of an Evidence-Based Patient Safety Team to Prevent Falls in Inpatient Medical Units T he Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services identified falls as a preventable health care acquired condition (DuPree, Fritz-Campiz, & Musheno, 2014). A large portion of the medical-surgical inpatient population is aging, and therefore at high risk for falls (Boltz, Capezuti, Wagner, Rosen berg, & Secic, 2013). Falls have physical and emotional implications for patients, as well as increased financial costs for facilities. Nationally, medical units have the highest rates of falls (Bouldin et al., 2013). Most notably, falls can cause significant injuries resulting in increased length of stay, unexpected surgeries, and even death (Williams, Szekendi, & Thomas, 2014). Historically medical-surgical nurses care for a mix of complex patients with an array of comorbidi- ties and patient needs (Carter & Burnette, 2011). Literature Review The literature search was limited to keyword searches on falls, team- work, patient safety, nursing, hourly rounding, and communication. Data - bases included PubMed, EBSCO, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, CINAHL, and The Joint Commission for years 2008-2014. Use of fall prevention teams was an emerging evidence-based practice (EBP) intervention to decrease the incidence of inpatient falls (Graham, 2012). Consistently, the evidence demonstrated ineffective communi- cation, situation awareness, team- work, assessment, hourly rounding, and environmental challenges as key factors related to preventable inpa- tient falls. Collectively, research.