Preventing falls in the hospital

What to expect as a hospital patient If you are a patient at an Allina hospital, you can expect your nurses and other hospital staff members to use proven methods to keep you safe: Evaluation – Throughout your stay, hospital staff members will ask you a series of questions and watch for certain signs to determine whether you're at risk of falling. Verbal contract – If there is a chance you may lose your balance, staff members will have you agree to call for help and not try to get up from your bed or chair without help. Visual cues – A magnet at your door, a red blanket on your bed, or red socks on your feet may be used to let everyone caring for you know that you may need extra help getting around. Safe environment – Items like safety straps and non-skid footwear, and regular hourly rounding checks also may help keep you from falling. Safety Advice for Hospital Stays 10 tips to prevent falls while you're in the hospital How to prevent infections during your hospital stay SPEAK UP for your health care Your rights and responsibilities as a patient Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety: My Medicine List

How is Allina doing? SAFE from FALLS We work with other hospital and health care systems to promote patient safety by participating in efforts like the Minnesota Hospital Association's SAFE from FALLS initiative. The Minnesota Hospital Association honored these Allina hospitals with a Patient Safety Excellence Award for their efforts to prevent falls. Buffalo and Unity hospitals in June 2009. Cambridge Medical Center and Unity Hospital in March 2009 Buffalo Hospital and St. Francis Regional Medical Center in October 2008 Owatonna Hospital and New Ulm Medical Center in June 2008 National safety patient goal: Reduce the risk of patient harm resulting from falls. We report on how well our hospitals' fall reduction programs are doing to the Joint Commission, an independent, non-profit agency that sets standards for health care. Visit www.qualitycheck.org to see how our hospitals compare to others throughout the nation in fall prevention and other national safety patient goals. Minnesota's adverse health events report Falls resulting in serious disability are among the 28 adverse health events that we report to the Minnesota Department of Health. On January 16, 2009, the Minnesota Department of Health released the fifth annual adverse health events report. The report documents 42 adverse events at Allina hospitals, including 16 falls that caused fractures. To look up information about a specific hospital, visit www.health.state.mn.us/patientsafety/adverseselect.