Patient safety is a priority in health care. The intent of National Patient Safety
Goal No. 9, which started in 2008, is to reduce the risk of patient harm resulting
from falls. The Joint Commission and the Institute of Medicine have placed a great
emphasis on patient safety and decreasing adverse events during hospitalization. The
hospital environment places patients at increased risk for falls related to physiological
factors, medications, and the use of equipment.
1
Many fall risk tools are available in the literature; unfortunately, these tools
are intended for the adult patient rather than the pediatric patient. The Joint Commission
recommends that hospitals have a method to identify children at risk for harm from
falls, as well as a screening process to determine which children are at risk. Efforts
should be made to assess and protect this population.
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References
- Pediatric falls: state of the science.Pediatr Nurs. 2009; 35: 227-231
- The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals Web site.(Available at:) (Accessed August 10, 2012)
- Development of an evidence-based pediatric fall prevention program.J Nurs Care Qual. 2007; 22: 107-112
- Injuries experienced by infant children: a population-based epidemiological analysis.Pediatrics. 2003; 111: e365-e370
- Falls in hospitalized children.Pediatr Nurs. 2006; 32: 568-572
- The Humpty Dumpty Falls Scale: a case–control study.J Spec Pediatr Nurs. 2009; 14: 22-32
- Kids can't fly: preventing fall injuries in children.WMJ. 2005; 104: 33-36
Biography
Melissa D. Rouse is Clinical Nurse Specialist, Quality and Patient Safety, Palomar Health, Escondido, CA.
Biography
Jackie Close is Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist, Palomar Health, Escondido, CA.
Biography
Cathy Prante is Director Emergency Services and Forensics, Palomar Health, Escondido, CA.
Biography
Stephanie Boyd is Clinical Nurse Specialist, Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, San Diego, CA.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 21, 2013
Accepted:
November 2,
2012
Received in revised form:
October 30,
2012
Received:
August 30,
2012
Footnotes
Section Editors: Tomi St. Mars, RN, MSN, CEN, FAEN, and Anna Maria Valdez, RN, PhD, CEN, CFRN
Submissions to this column are encouraged and may be sent to
Tomi St. Mars, RN, MSN, CEN, FAEN
or
Anna Maria Valdez, RN, PhD, CEN, CFRN
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
