Hillcrest Medical Center (HMC) is proud to serve Tulsa and surrounding communities. We know you have put your health in our hands, and we do not take that responsibility lightly.
We are always working to improve the care we provide so that our patients feel safe in our facility. Reducing falls in the hospital continues to be a focused effort at HMC. Patients could experience a fall in the hospital for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, weakness after surgery or the sudden urge to use the restroom.
Since 2019, HMC has taken steps to reduce falls. In 2020, fewer in-hospital falls occurred than the prior year. The HMC leaders implemented additional measures to reduce in-hospital fall events, including:
1. Daily conversations of patients at risk for falls amongst hospital leadership teams.
2. In-depth and broad education for our nursing staff to include more frequent rounding on patients.
3. Vendors increased their hospital presence to ensure fall intervention equipment is working properly.
4. Education tools for our patients and family members to understand their roles in fall prevention.
In 2022, HMC’s fall governance committee has taken additional steps to reduce in-hospital falls, including:
1. Increasing the number of support staff on units to assist with patient monitoring and rounding on high-risk patients for falls.
2. Focusing education to both nursing and other support staff on effective communication methods and increasing rounds on patients to anticipate each patient’s needs.
3. Installed monitoring equipment in patient rooms to alert nursing and support staff when a patient at risk for a fall gets out of bed to provide appropriate assistance to prevent a fall occurrence.
4. Recognizing units with zero in-hospital falls and units with the greatest reduction every month.
As seen in the updated chart here, HMC’s efforts have continuously proven to be successful. While all falls cannot be prevented, we are proud of the work our teams have done throughout the last few years. At HMC, we pride ourselves in providing a safe and effective healing environment for our patients.