WSHA will host a Virtual Falls Prevention and Harm Reduction DELTA Day from 10 a.m. to noon July 6. DELTA Days are WSHA’s most intensive training opportunities to develop skills and knowledge required to immediately implement safety and quality pilot programs. It is a collaborative, improvement workshop focusing on shared learning and rapid cycle improvement, utilizing front-line staff. At this DELTA Day, we will begin to focus on the one-to-two areas that each facility has committed to work on as small tests of change within their facilities. Registration is open online. Contact Amy Anderson with questions.
Falls are consistently listed as one of The Joint Commission’s “Top 10” Sentinel Events reported to the database, with patient falls being the single largest reported harm in 2021. While extensive clinical research and adult evidence-based strategies in fall prevention exist, reducing injurious falls in the hospital environment remains difficult. Among adults 65 years or older within Washington and Oregon, falls are the leading cause of injury-related death for persons both in and out of the hospital per 100,000 people. Moreover, men are 25.5% more likely to die from a fatal fall than women in Washington State. If you cross over into Oregon, this age-adjusted death rate climbs to 36% for men over their female counterparts. (Amy Anderson)
