Conversion to Hendrich II Fall Assessment to Decrease Falls in the Medical/Surgical Areas and Intensive Care Unit

Falls increased in Thompson Health's inpatient areas in 2009 and 2010, and the number of falls was higher than the benchmark National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators data comparisons of same-size and Magnet-designated facilities. Eighty-seven percent of patients who fell on the 3-West unit in 2010 were age 65 or older, and 3-West treated more patients in this age group than any other unit. This group also accounted for 64.5 percent of Thompson's inpatient population in 2010. If a patient in this high-risk, high-volume group falls, he or she may suffer devastating results, such as fractures.