Collaborative Governance: Falls Committee

"promoting excellence every day"

FALL PREVENTION COMMITTEE
2011 Goals | Overview | CG Falls Champions

Collaborative Governance
Committees

Diversity

Patient Education

Ethics in Clinical Practice

Informatics

Policy, Procedure & Products

Practice & Quality Oversight Subcommittees

Research & Evidence-based

Staff Nurse Advisory

Current work:

Arms Length - continue to remind staff about the importance of keeping everything within arms length of patients, to avoid them reaching too far and causing a fall.
Explain to patients that safety comes first even in the bathroom setting, privacy is secondary.
This time of year new students and PCAs, will be coming to work at MGH. Please remember to educate them on fall prevention information and show them how to access it on the Partners system.

2012 Goals

Continue to work with the Acute Care Documentation specialist on the Morse Falls Scale adaptation in the new system.
Review available fall prevention education on the patient channel.
Provide a Fall Prevention Table during National Falls Awareness Day.
Continue the work on the Fall Prevention “Did you Know Poster”.
Evaluate fall rate and review case studies.
Explore staff perceptions on fall prevention.
Explore opportunities to further educate patients and families on safety and fall prevention.
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Meets:
3rd Thursday monthly
1pm - 3pm
Trustees
Conference Room, Bulfinch 225A

Committee Contacts:

Co-Chairs
Christina Connors, RN - Bigelow 11 - General Medical

Bridget Lyons, RN - White 11 - General Medical

Coach
Monica Staples, RN, CNS - White 10 - General Medical

Advisor
Deborah D'Avolio, PhD, APRN-BC - Geriatric Specialist - POB4

CG Falls Champions

FALL PREVENTION COMMITTEE OVERVIEW

The Patient Care Services Fall Prevention sub-Committee works to provide a safe environment for all patients and to develop an individualized plan of care for those who are at risk for falls. Champions accomplish this by empowering staff with evidence-based knowledge to assess risk and implement fall prevention care plans for patients, and to provide all staff with clear and concise guidelines for fall prevention, intervention and post-fall care. Champions should be interested in creating a safe environment for all patients by recognizing warning signs of a patient at risk for falls (physical, psycho-social), how to prevent falls, involve patients and families in these efforts and share this knowledge with colleagues. return to top

Membership:

All Patient Care Services professional staff are eligible to apply during the annual application process.
Annually, committee leaders recommend applicants to the Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse based upon the committee’s needs.
Applications are occasionally accepted from professional staff outside of PCS and will be recommended based upon the needs of the committee.
Committee meetings and events are open to the PCS community. return to top