Quality and Safety Core Elective
Patient Safety and Cost
Lisa Anderson is a 74-year-old female with a history of osteoporosis. She is a widow and lives alone in a two-story home. Mrs. Anderson is retired and depends on her Social Security income. She takes pride in making all her own food from scratch. While she is walking at the hospital today, Mrs. Anderson falls and fractures her left hip. She is transported to the OR for immediate surgery.
Patient falls are a serious problem in hospitals, resulting in substantial morbidity, mortality, increased length of stay, and higher costs. It is estimated that high hospitalization rates in healthcare organizations result from patient falls. Fall rates in acute-care hospitals have been measured between 2.2 and 7 falls per 1,000 admissions. Injuries occur in approximately 30% of falls, and severe injuries occur in 4% to 6% of falls. Patient falls increase the cost of patient care. It was found that patients who fell and were injured as a result of a fall had $4,233 higher charges and a length of stay (LOS) of 12.3 days.
Provide an example of something in your current facility that is increasing the cost of care in your organization. How is it being controlled, or how could it be controlled? Make sure to provide some ideas of what could be done better to improve care and outcomes.
IMPORTANT NOTE