The PROTECT Fall Prevention Program was developed to reduce patient falls in hospitals by recognising that different wards and patients have different needs.
The program was co-designed with consumers, clinicians, health executives and researchers. Rather than using a simple approach across all wards, PROTECT provides staff with training, education and support to develop and implement fall prevention strategies tailored to their local context. Twelve multidisciplinary teams across four Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) hospitals have successfully participated in the PROTECT Fall Prevention Program. Using local data, ward teams selected various strategies to reduce falls on their wards, including enhanced delirium identification and management, processes to increase opportunities for patient toileting and time out of bed around mealtimes, optimising access to patient mobility equipment and improving procedures for bed allocation and visibility of patients at high risk of falling.
The program has successfully reduced patient falls across wards in four SLHD hospitals, with reductions ranging from 8% to 63% compared with pre-PROTECT periods. Staff confidence in hospital fall prevention and leading quality improvement initiatives has also increased.
