Implementing an Evidence Based Fall Prevention Program in a Long-Term Care Facility

Falls among the elderly are a significant problem with severe consequences. Residents of long-term facilities account for twenty percent of fatal falls. It is imperative that evidence-based practices be implemented at this level of care to address this problem. A multifaceted evidence-based fall prevention program was implemented at a 70 bed, skilled nursing, long-term care facility located in Florida, whose fall rate of 7.14 is above than the national average (2.74-5.48). The fall prevention program included staff education, implementation of a checklist for universal fall precautions, post fall huddles, and the appointment of a falls champion. One-month post intervention results included a statistically significant increase in pre-test post-test knowledge (two-tailed p-value .004) and 100% compliance in conducting post-fall huddles. As the evidence demonstrates, fall rates should decrease as a result of implementing targeted multifactorial programs. On-going surveillance will be needed to evaluate the impact of these interventions on the long-term fall rate within the facility