Patient Falls – Safety Measurement
Falling down during hospitalization should be avoidable, at least falls with any injury. No hospital can guarantee that their patients will never fall or never injure themselves falling, but good hospitals have lower fall rates because of effective safety programs that identify patients at risk, that monitor and support at risk patients scrupulously, and that minimize the likelihood of being at risk through other clinical interventions.
Patient Care
Hospitalized patients are generally at greater risk of falling because their acute illness or surgical procedure will often make them weaker or unstable. Medications needed for recovery, including pain medications, may increase instability. And a new unfamiliar environment may equally cause challenges. Nevertheless, it is important for many patients to walk and regain independence before going home so that their risk of falling at home can be minimized.
Patient Falls Performance Report of Danbury Hospital
We have a very active falls prevention program modeled after best practices and research. We measure our fall rate and report that rate here, compared to a national average.