NRS 490 Capstone Assignment week 2; The Effect of Hourly Rounding on Fall Prevention

NRS 490 Capstone Assignment week 2 The Effect of Hourly Rounding on Fall Prevention The World Health Organization (WHO) defines falls as an event that results in a person coming to rest inadvertently on the floor, ground, or other lower level (WHO, 2018). Falls are the leading cause of accidental and unintentional death. It is estimated that over 646,000 people die globally from falls (WHO, 2018). Falls in acute care settings are the leading cause of injury in hospitalized patients. It is estimated that about 70,000 to 100,000 patients fall in hospitals in the United States annually, leading to deaths, fractures, hemorrhages, etc. Research has shown that about 1/3 of this could be avoided if appropriate measures such as purposeful rounding are put in place (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2018). My current place of work is struggling with patient falls, which is having a serious toll on the employers and the employees. This paper will address falls in my facility, which is a hospital, the causes, the impact, and how this epidemic can be corrected.