October 10, 2024 by matray

LAMMICO congratulates Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital in Lafayette, La., the recipient of the 9^th Annual LAMMICO Patient Safety Award and Grant. The 2023-2024 Patient Safety Award and Grant centered on falls prevention. Preventing patient falls is a top priority for patient safety, patient satisfaction, quality reputation and cost reduction. Patient falls may result in injuries such as lacerations, fractures, intracranial bleeding and death. Compared to patients who do not suffer falls, those with fall-induced injuries stay in the hospital longer and incur higher hospital costs. To decrease patient falls in the hospital or ambulatory surgery setting, a multifaceted approach with standardized and customized interventions is needed. Developing an evidence-based falls prevention program is essential. This grant program encouraged participating hospitals to tackle this challenge and reduce their patient fall rates.

Grant applicants completed falls prevention online courses in LAMMICO’s learning management system. These courses focused on information about falls, recommended interventions for falls prevention programs, and how staff can help prevent patient falls.

By demonstrating the best improvements (in policies, procedures, protocols and/or processes) related to a reduction in patient fall rates after completing this risk management and patient safety education, Lafayette Surgical Specialty Hospital (LSSH) was awarded:

• $10,000 grant for nursing professional development
• One-year Risk Manager membership to the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM)

One of the steps taken by the team at LSSH to prevent falls included staff helping all patients with dressing. A “Call Before You Fall” program was implemented throughout the hospital. It included educational patient signage. The staff placed all patients in a chair or on the side of the bed with the side rails up, rather than on the side of the bed, while a wheelchair was obtained for discharge. LSSH had a 40% decrease in patient falls for the three-month post-education period, as compared to the three-month pre-education period.

Specialists Hospital Shreveport in Shreveport, La., is the second place participant of the Patient Safety Award and Grant. A grant of $5,000 for nursing professional development and a one-year Risk Manager membership to ASHRM was presented to this hospital in recognition of this honor.

After participating in the grant program, Specialists Hospital Shreveport learned that one of the best falls prevention steps is to better educate staff. They updated their falls prevention policy and procedures. They also developed an educational presentation that is used during new staff orientation to teach falls prevention strategies.

LAMMICO commends these two hospitals and all others who submitted award applications, for their commitment to improving patient safety.