Falls Prevention Strategies in Aged Care: Safety & Quality Framework

This presentation addresses the critical issue of falls in aged care facilities, highlighting its significance as a national safety and quality priority. It emphasizes the role of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care in providing guidelines and policies to ensure safety within healthcare settings. The presentation explores various strategies for preventing falls, including environmental measures, clinical interventions, and technological solutions. It underscores the importance of healthcare providers ensuring patient safety and adhering to established guidelines to minimize fall risks. The presentation, intended for an executive team at an aged care facility, aims to provide actionable insights for addressing the increase in falls observed over the past six months, utilizing one of the core principles of the Australian Safety and Quality Framework for Health Care which promotes consumer-centered, information-driven, and safety-organized care.

Health Care
Quality and Governance in Health
and Community care

Safety in health care systems
• Safety is an important aspect in health care
system
• All hospitals and health care centres are
required to have safe operations to avoid
accidents
• All equipment and machines within the
hospitals are required to be safer

The role of Australian Commission on safety
and Quality Health care
• The Australian Commission on Safety and
Quality Health care has worked on policies that
provide guidelines on how safety in health care
centres and hospitals can be checked(Johnson,
Clay-Williams and Lane, 2018).
• The policies inform the consumers on what is
expected on them in terms of safety in health
care system

The role of Australian Commission on Safety
and Quality Health care cont.
• Develop clear guidelines which are consumer
cantered, to enable patients understand their
rights and act in a manner that will not risk
their lives(Yildirim-Kaptanoğlu, 2013).
• Finally, the commission has set standards
which are in line with the vision of safe and
quality health care for all Australian citizens

Preventing falls in hospitals and health care
centres
• Using environmental measures such as
avoiding slippery floors or patients having the
company nurses all times(Smith, 2004).
• Using clinical interventions for instance,
reducing the use of deliriogenic medications
• Technological interventions such as installing
alarms on beds and lowering the height of the
beds(Duffin, 2010).

Conclusion
• The prevention of fall is an important role of
hospital and health care system operators.
Health care providers must always ensure that
patients do not face the risks of fall that may
complicate their health situations.
• The environmental design should be done in
relation to the laid down guidelines such as
those highlighted by the Australian
Commission on Safety and Quality Health Care

References
 Duffin, C. (2010). Falls specialist nurse
achieves results. Primary Health Care, 20(2),
pp.6-7.
 Johnson, A., Clay-Williams, R. and Lane, P.
(2018). Framework for better care: reconciling
approaches to patient safety and quality.
Australian Health Review.

References cont.
 Smith, T. (2014). Culture and incentives conducive
to quality and safety in health care. Quality and
Safety in Health Care, 13(4), pp.317-320.
 Yildirim-Kaptanoğlu, A. (2013). Integration of
family practice centres to secondary care hospitals
via health commissioning methodology.
International Journal of Integrated Care,
13(6),pp.270-310.