Implementation of Fall Prevention Program in Acute Care and Ambulatory Setting Lowers Number of Falls

Falls Among Older Patients Reduced by 36-50%

Hackensack University Medical Center strives to deliver the highest quality of care by advancing patient safety. To help reduce the risk of falls, Manisha Parulekar, M.D., staff physician in the HUMC Division of Geriatrics, implemented a hospital-wide fall prevention program in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team.

The program inspired and informed an innovative risk stratification process, the Green/Yellow/Red stratification, which helps nurses better allocate interventions. What’s more, results have been overwhelmingly positive since implementation:

• 36% reduction in inpatient falls with injury during January–August 2019 (when compared with the same period for 2018).
• 50% reduction in ambulatory falls with injury during January–August 2019 (when compared with the same period for 2018).