Inpatient fall prevention: Use of in-room Webcams
2013
Journal of Patient Safety
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 9
Pages 29-35
Author(s): Hardin, S. R., Dienemann, J., Rudisill, P., Mills, K. K.
The National Database for Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) maintains data on patient falls nationally. Reported fall rates have ranged from 2.2 to 7 per 1000 admissions; 10% to 25% of falls result in an injury, depending on patient population. Falls adversely impact hospital costs as well as patient costs and overall well-being. The California HealthCare Foundation reported that technological innovations in the field of fall prevention, such as wireless patient monitoring systems, resulted in faster nurse response times and increased satisfaction for both patients and staff.
Added December 2014
Accessibility for mental healthcare
2013
Facilities
Journal Article
Issue 9/10
Volume 31
Pages 418-426
Author(s): Chrysikou, E.
Mental health facilities, according to the author, are designed and built to limit the mobility of patients, whether or not they are limited by physical disability. While physical mobility may be a consequence of the illness, in other cases the potential flight risk of a patient may require the facility policy to be restrictive regarding patient access to open spaces.
Added December 2014
Space to care and treat safely in acute hospitals: Recommendations from 1866 to 2008
2010
Applied Ergonomics
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 41
Pages 666-673
Author(s): Hignett, S., Lu, J.
Bed space, defined in this study as the area around an individual bed offering privacy either as a curtained or screened cubicle or a single room in a ward holding multiple occupants, is the most frequently repeated design envelope in an acute care hospital. Since patients, staff, visitors, and other people will occupy this space at one point or another for a variety of different purposes, a complex design challenge exists. In 1893, Florence Nightingale successfully argued for less cramped bedrooms and overall improvements in hospital designs.
Added December 2014
Ambulatory infusion suite: pre- and post-occupancy evaluation
2012
Building Research & Information
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 40
Pages 700-712
Author(s): Shepley, M.M., Rybkowski, Z., Aliber, J., Lange, C.
The authors refer to the lack of research on the design of cancer facilities while emphasizing the need to study the impact of the physical environment of infusion suites on patient experience. This study evaluates the perceptions of patients and staff of two infusion suites – old and new, specifically in connection with social interaction, privacy, and access to nature.
Added December 2014
Designing for distractions: a human factors approach to decreasing interruptions at a centralised medication station
2012
BMJ Quality & Safety
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 21
Pages 939-947
Author(s): Colligan, L., Guerlain, S., Steck, S. E., Hoke, T. R.
According to the authors, literature indicates that interruptions during the administration of medication in healthcare settings can lead to errors, and that such errors are likely to cause more harm in pediatric settings. The medication station in the study hospital is centrally located with an open design targeted to reduce nurse walking and increase time with patients.
Added December 2014
Improved Efficiency and Safety for EVAR with Utilization of a Hybrid Room
2013
European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 46
Pages 675-679
Author(s): Varu, V. N., Greenberg, J. I., Lee, J. T.
The authors allude to technological advances like image-guided and catheter-based interventions in connection with contemporary vascular surgery in recent years. They indicate that with procedures becoming more complex, dedicated interventional suites with suitably trained and experienced staff were becoming a necessity.
Added December 2014
Outdoor Wandering Parks for Persons with Dementia
2013
Outdoor Environments for People with Dementia
Book Section
Author(s): Cohen-Mansfield, J., Rodiek, S., Schwarz, B.
Outdoor spaces in nursing homes are documented to be beneficial to residents. The author alludes to literature to highlight the specific advantages exposure to different types of outdoor spaces brings to the daily lives of people suffering from dementia.
Added December 2014
Inpatient suicide and suicide attempts in Veterans Affairs hospitals
2008
Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety
Journal Article
Issue 8
Volume 34
Pages 482-8
Author(s): Mills, P. D., DeRosier, J. M., Ballot, B. A., Shepherd, M., Bagian, J. P.
Added November 2014
A plasma display window? – the shifting baseline problem in a technologically mediated natural world
2009
Journal of Environmental Psychology
Journal Article
Author(s): Kahn, P. H. Jr., Friedman, B., Brian Gill, Hagman, J., Severson, R. L., Freier, N. G., Feldman, E. N., Carrere, S., Stolyar, A.
The general purpose of this study is to test the physical and psychological effects of experiencing nature through a technology medium. Past research has shown that contact with nature can lead to “enjoyment, satisfaction, and increased levels of satisfaction with one’s home, one’s job, and with life in general” (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989, p. 173). So in an fast-changing world of technology-mediated healthcare, the question posed in this study revolves around whether simulated nature scenes can elicit the same health benefits that real nature has shown to produce.
Added November 2014
Heights of occupied patient beds: a possible risk factor for inpatient falls.
2008
Journal of Clinical Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 17
Pages 1503-1509
Author(s): Tzeng, H. M., Yin, C. Y.
The height of occupied patient beds can be an overlooked contributor to inpatient falls. Hospital bed frames are still eight–12 inches higher than those of home bedframes. The difference in heights may contribute to inpatient falls related to getting in and out of bed and to the severity of fall-related injuries. Better physical design of hospital equipment such as patient beds may reduce patient falls and injuries.
Added November 2014
Are call light use and response time correlated with inpatient falls and inpatient dissatisfaction?
2009
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 24
Pages 232-242
Author(s): Tzeng, H. M., Yin, C. Y.
Inpatients use call lights to seek nurses’ assistance. Although implied in patient safety, no studies have analyzed data related to the use of or response time to call lights collected by existing tracking mechanisms monitoring nursing practice.
Added November 2014
Pediatric inpatient falls and injuries: a descriptive analysis of risk factors.
2012
Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 17
Pages 10-18
Author(s): Schaffer, P. L., Daraiseh, N. M., Daum, L., Mendez, E., Lin, L., Huth, M. M.
Falls are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries treated in emergency departments in the United States. Children’s falls have the potential for injury and other negative patient outcomes (e.g., increased length of hospital stay and increased costs). To prevent these fall occurrences and injury outcomes, a comprehensive assessment of the factors surrounding falls in hospitalized children is essential to developing best-practice interventions.
Added November 2014
Patient falls: An outcome indicator.
1991
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 6
Pages 25-29
Author(s): Ruckstuhl, M. C., Marchionda, E. E., Salmons, J., Larrabee, J. H.
While a patient is in the hospital, that institution is responsible for his or her well-being. Patient falls are detrimental to patient safety and frequently represent the largest category of incident reports submitted to risk management. Thus, hospitals today are strongly motivated to reduce patient falls because quality care is of utmost importance to both the patient and the institution. However, today's climate of cost containment and litigious actions provides additional incentives for assuring quality of care by preventing patient falls.
Added November 2014
Effectiveness of installing overhead ceiling lifts: Reducing musculoskeletal injuries in an extended care hospital unit.
2002
American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Journal
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 50
Pages 120-127
Author(s): Ronald, L. A., Yassi, A., Spiegel, J., Tate, R. B., Tait, D., Mozel, M. R.
High rate of musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) among healthcare workers is well documented. Lifetime prevalence rates of back pain greater than 70 percent have been reported and higher incidence rates of MSI have been observed in healthcare workers compared to the general population and two other occupation groups. Mechanical lifting equipment has been recommended as an effective tool for decreasing the rate and severity of MSI in healthcare workers.
Added November 2014
Fall and injury prevention in residential care: effects in residents with higher and lower levels of cognition.
2003
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 51
Pages 627-635
Author(s): Jensen, J., Nyberg, L., Gustafson, Y., Lundin-Olsson, L.
The prevention of falls and injuries in older people with cognitive impairment is an important concern in public health. It is of vital interest to investigate whether older people with significant cognitive impairment would benefit from fall prevention strategies.
Added November 2014
Targeting environmental factors to reduce elderly in-patient falls.
2010
Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Healthcare/ 3rd International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics [AHFE], 17-20 July 2010, Miami, USA.
Journal Article
Author(s): Hignett, S., Sands, G., Youde, J., Griffiths, P.
Inpatient falls have consistently been the biggest single category of reported incidents since the 1940s; they are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and have a high prevalence after admission to hospital. The incident rate for falls is approximately three times higher in hospitals and nursing homes than in community-dwelling older people. It has been suggested that this may be due to a combination of extrinsic risk factors (relating to the environment), for example, unfamiliar environment and wheeled furniture, combined with intrinsic risk factors (relating to the patient) such as confusion, acute illness, and balance-affecting medication.
Added November 2014
An analysis of falls in the hospital: Can we do without bedrails?
1999
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 47
Pages 529-531
Author(s): Hanger, H. C., Ball, M. C., Wood, L. A.
Falls and injuries from falls are common in older patients in institutions, evoking a common response of using restraints, such as bedrails or cot sides, to further prevent harm. However, there is no compelling evidence that restraints reduce the risk of falls and/or injuries.
Added November 2014
Pragmatic, Cluster Randomized Trial of a Policy to Introduce Low-Low Beds to Hospital Wards for the Prevention of Falls and Fall Injuries
2010
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 58
Pages 435-441
Author(s): Haines, T. P., Bell, R. A. R., Varghese, P. N.
Falls by hospitalized older adults are a common and potentially debilitating adverse event. In the United States, Medicare no longer confers incremental payments to hospitals for eight secondary conditions that it perceives as preventable complications of medical care, with falls from bed being one of these. Development of a policy to introduce low-low beds, which reduce the potential for injury if patients fall from the bed, on hospital wards is attractive, given the hypothesized benefits.
Added November 2014
Quality improvement project eliminates falls in recovery area of high-volume endoscopy unit.
2011
BMJ Quality & Safety
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 20
Pages 170-173
Author(s): Francis, D. L., Prabhakar, S., Bryant-Sendek, D. M., Larson, M. V.
Patient falls associated with healthcare delivery are frequent, undesirable, and largely preventable events. Patients who receive conscious sedation for endoscopic procedures are especially vulnerable to falls because of the cognitive effects of the sedation, relative hypotension that may be induced by the most common sedatives used (fentanyl and midazolam), the prolonged fasting state, and the frequent practice of withholding regular daily medications prior to procedures. There is a need to evaluate patient falls after sedated endoscopic procedures.
Added November 2014
Why do patients in acute care hospitals fall? Can falls be prevented?
2009
Journal of Nursing Administration
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 39
Pages 299-304
Author(s): Dykes, P. C., Carroll, D. L., Hurley, A. C., Benoit, A., Middleton, B.
Despite a large quantitative evidence base for guiding fall risk assessment and not needing highly technical, scarce, or expensive equipment to prevent falls, falls are serious problems in hospitals.
Added November 2014
