Falling while in the hospital is upsetting, even when it does not result in an injury. Hospital for Special Surgery takes falls prevention extremely seriously, and our numbers show that we are well below the national average. Our low rate is despite the fact that our patients are at a higher risk for falls because of the types of surgery they receive.
Our falls prevention program begins prior to surgery. Nurse specialists teach fall prevention techniques in presurgical classes. Patients who are identified as having a higher risk for falling wear a special falls prevention wristband while in the hospital as a signal that they may need extra help.
Falls sometimes occur because patients are embarrassed or do not want to “bother" staff while in the hospital. At HSS, we tell our patients to always ask for help. In addition, our nurses have instituted a practice of hourly rounding so that patients never feel left on their own.
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