To Prevent Falls, No Patient Walks Alone

The telemetry unit at San Diego Medical Center launched its “No One Walks Alone” campaign to reduce its high rate of patient falls. Rather than assess a patient’s risk of falling, they now treat every patient as a fall risk and ensure each patient is accompanied — especially to and from the bathroom. By installing bed alarms and rounding on patients hourly, falls decreased dramatically and the practices were spread throughout the hospital. The monthly rate of patient falls has dropped from 16 to 3.

Here's What Worked

• Treating every patient as a fall risk and ensuring each patient is accompanied
• Installing bed alarms to let staff know when a patient was trying to sit up
• Rounding on patients hourly to get them out of bed and into the bathroom safely

What can your team do to reduce slips, trips and falls in your area? What else could your team do to create a culture of safety?