The prevention of falls is one of the top priorities for the administrators of medical organizations. This paper is aimed at examining the policies adopted by a certain hospital. Moreover, it is necessary to compare them with existing regulations and the best practices. Overall, this discussion is important for identifying the main areas that require improvements. One can say that managers should pay more attention to the culture that facilitates continuous improvement in hospitals. Moreover, the use of technologies can considerably reduce the risk of falls. In turn, these questions should be discussed more closely.
This guide lays stress on the need to document every incident. This task is necessary for identifying the limitations of existing policies. Furthermore, this protocol highlights the need to evaluate patients’ vulnerability. In particular, one should determine the extent to which a patient is susceptible to the risk of falls. In turn, medical workers can apply such a tool as Morse Fall Scale. They also need to use the markers such as red and yellow bracelets that help nurses detect at-risk patients. This practice can enable them to dedicate more time to the needs of patients who are more vulnerable.
Additionally, the authors of this document focus on the environment of hospitals. For instance, much attention should be paid to the role of lighting. Moreover, patients should be informed about the layout of the hospital. Furthermore, medical workers should consider the use of supportive devices that minimize the risk of falls. One should not overlook the scheduling of rounds. In some cases, medical workers need to visit patients very frequently.
It is possible to argue that the practices included in this protocol are also advocated by various governmental organizations. In particular, one should consider the policies outlined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or AHRQ. For instance, this agency also recognizes the need to monitor the environment of hospitals. Medical workers should focus on the use of lighting. Furthermore, they should ensure that the floors are dry (AHRQ, 2013). Nevertheless, this organization stresses the need to use the footwear that can minimize the risk of falls (AHRQ, 2013).
However, one should consider other important practices that are adopted by hospitals. In particular, some medical institutions apply technologies that give the live-stream video of patient’s activities (McCurley & Pittman, 2014). Additionally, these technologies are suitable for the audio monitoring of patients (McCurley & Pittman, 2014). The main benefit of this tool is that nurses can quickly respond to the needs of patients. Furthermore, this technique is useful for minimizing the effects of falls because medical workers can treat possible injuries as soon as possible. Admittedly, a hospital should have considerable financial resources to purchase these technologies and provide training to employees. However, one can argue that this investment can be justified in the long-term.
Moreover, medical organizations lay stress on the need to categorize risks. For instance, some of them can be related to the mental health of a patient. In contrast, others can be attributed to physical disabilities (American Nurse Today, 2011). These dangers can also be associated with the internal environment of hospitals. This conceptual method is important for explaining the risks to which a patient is exposed. Apart from that, researchers note that well-developed leadership skills of nurses are required to eliminate falls in the hospitals (American Nurse Today, 2011). In particular, these medical workers are expected to take initiatives and make changes in the design of hospitals. In some cases, they have to take precautions without asking for the permission of hospital administrators (American Nurse Today, 2011). This empowerment of nurses can make decision-making less time-consuming. This approach leads to the continuous improvement of existing practices. So, the culture of a medical organization should not be disregarded.
One can say that the standards and practices identified in the initial protocol are helpful for reducing the risk of falls. Nevertheless, this protocol omits some important policies that are necessary for increasing the safety of patients. Overall, these differences can be illustrated with the help of the following comparison chart.
The practices that are advocated by various healthcare organizations cannot be viewed as step-by-step instructions. Instead, one should concentrate on the strategies that are helpful for identifying and removing possible deficiencies. Therefore, one should pay more attention to the role of nurses who are often more aware of potential risks that threaten patients. It is one of the details that should be taken into account by hospital administrators.
Overall, this discussion shows that medical workers should study evidence-based practices that can be advocated by researchers or the administrators of other hospitals. This approach can be helpful for increasing the safety of patients whose movements are impaired due to some reasons. Hospitals need to create mechanisms that eliminate possible malpractices as quickly as possible. Moreover, they should not overlook technological innovations that can significantly improve time management in hospitals. So, one should review its protocol and add new provisions recommended by researchers.
Reference List
AHRQ. (2013). Preventing Falls in Hospitals. Web.
American Nurse Today. (2011). Best Practices for Falls Prevention. Web.
McCurley, J., & Pittman, J. (2014). A New Approach to Fall Prevention in Inpatient Care Implementing Remote Audiovisual Monitoring of At-Risk Patients. Web.