4 6
O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4
breach.
4
Patient
falls. A patient
fall is a sudden,
uncontrolled, uninten-
tional downward dis-
placement of the body
to the ground or other
object, excluding falls resulting from violent blows or other purposeful
actions. Knowing this definition and understanding the risk indicators
are your first steps to preventing falls in your facility. Educate your staff
on how to assess and identify fall risks in all patients. Provide education
on patient fall prevention during orientation and at least once annually
thereafter. Education, evaluation and communication are the 3 ele-
ments essential to preventing patient falls and injuries. Benchmark your
facility's performance in preventing patient falls. OSM
Ms. Kirchner (
bk irchner@asp-email.com
) is the owner and CEO of Genesee
Associates. She has been involved in the design, development and manage-
ment of more than 50 ASCs since 1985.
C O M P L I C A T I O N S
The heel is the
most common
area for a
pressure ulcer.
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