Hoping to stop patients from falling in hospital
Using bed rails, keeping clear pathways, reviewing medication, keeping walking aids nearby and encouraging patients to wait for help...Hospital staff work together to try to prevent patients having falls in hospital.
But falls do still happen and can create further problems for the patient.
It is hoped that one of the benefits of the arrival of the EPR will be to help decrease the number of trips and falls in hospital, which can lead to broken bones, bruises and a loss of confidence.
This can result in an extended hospital stay and, for the patient, a step backwards in their recovery.
Staff already look for the root causes of falls and aim for prevention, but with patient notes spread across paper files and different systems, it is not always easy to quickly get a complete picture of the patient.
When the EPR is in place, it will bring all of this information together in one place, giving a clearer view of a patient’s symptoms, condition and mobility.
The EPR will not only help clinicians see more of an individual patient’s history, but it will also make data more accessible. For example, it may highlight patterns such as “patients over 65 on this ward who experience a fall tend to do so on day two of their admission.”
With this insight, staff can target that group with additional preventative measures.
The EPR will also include prompts to ensure full assessments are carried out for patients known to be at higher risk, based on factors such as age or presenting condition.
Assessments will automatically trigger actions such as referrals to an occupational therapist or physiotherapist, and will add tasks to nursing worklists, for example “order a low-profile bed.”
This will make it quicker and easier to follow the protocols already in place and should help reduce the number of preventable falls, or least reduce the level of harm if a fall does occur.