MIL OSI – Source: Association of Salaried Medical Specialists – Press Release/Statement
Headline: Stand up to falls – new patient safety campaign focus
Reducing harm from falls is the fifth focus for the Open for better care national patient safety campaign. Open for better care is led nationally by the Health Quality & Safety Commission (the Commission), and delivered in partnership with First, Do No Harm in the Northern region.
The theme is ‘Stand up to Falls’ and it will focus on an integrated approach to falls in older people across the health sector. This theme applies in all care settings – it is as pertinent at a central agency level, as it is across hospital, aged residential care and primary/community care settings. Having older people at the heart of everything we do is essential.
The ‘Stand up to Falls’ campaign commences in April with a month-long profile through April Falls activities including the release of the Atlas of Healthcare Variation falls domain, and the third national April Falls Quiz (general information about the quiz here).
The Commission encourages you (and as many of your colleagues, staff and contacts as possible) to enter the quiz – a survey and competition of interest to all working with older people, because:
- everyone can win by testing their knowledge about falls
- all entries qualify for one of three prizes, each to the value of $1000, for a development activity that grows the capability of an individual, team or organisation. The prizes will be awarded to individual entries selected at random from each of three categories/settings: hospital, residential care and primary/community/other.
The quiz runs 1 April–1 May 2015 and can be entered:
- online here (via mobile device or computer)
- by completing a pen and paper version (available for download from this page from 1 April) and returning it by scan/email or freepost.
Please promote the quiz in the way that’s best for you:
- print and display the 2015 April Falls Quiz flyer
- consider attaching the flyer to hardcopy rosters and payslips
- forward this email
- send this text message on or after 1 April 2015 “Please take the opportunity to enter the 2015 April Falls Quiz at ly/2015FallsQuiz to learn more about falls in older people and have the chance to win a prize”
- provide online access to the quiz or print copies of the pen and paper version (available from 1 April here).
Even if you and your colleagues/staff have done the Quiz before, there are new questions, and again, the chance to win a prize and reaffirm your knowledge.
And don’t forget to send us photos of your April Falls display and win (bridgette.connor@hqsc.govt.nz). All photos will go on the Commission’s website, and there are chocolate fish up for grabs for the winner!
‘Stand up to Falls’ campaign overview
The campaign runs from April through to September and each month will feature a new theme. Prior to each month we will email out an overview of the theme which will include key activities and key resources. Campaign themes include:
- April: An integrated approach to falls prevention – Know your data, know your district
- May: Falls leadership and capability for integrated falls prevention initiatives – What’s your plan?
- June: Empowering the consumer – Moving about safely in hospital, age-related residential care and at home
- July: Preventing falls in primary care and the community – Do I know my patients’ falls risk factors?
- August: Falls prevention in aged-related residential care – What do I know about falls in my facility and what can I do about it?
- September: Wellness in older people – Spring in to action.
More information on the ‘Stand up to Falls’ campaign can be found on the Open for better care or Commission Reducing Harm from Falls programme websites.
April overview
An integrated approach to falls prevention – Know your data, know your district
Integrated care is seen as critical to supporting older people in living safely and independently at home, helping them avoid admission to hospital and recovering after discharge from hospital. Disconnected and fragmented services impact negatively on patient outcomes and experience of care, but integrated care ensures that services are coordinated around the needs and goals of the older person, their families/whānau and other carers.
Knowing your local and regional falls data is a key component of understanding how well your services are integrated. The Atlas of Healthcare Variation is designed to identify variation in the delivery of health care services across New Zealand. The goal of the atlas is to stimulate debate on selected topics with a view to understanding whether observed variation is genuine and based on differences between populations, or whether it reflects variable practice. Ultimately, the intention is not to make a judgement but to stimulate debate and conversation. Typically, large variation in practice may indicate areas of clinical uncertainty, variable interpretation of the evidence, or it may highlight issues of access.
This atlas presents data by DHB on falls in people aged 50 and over, and includes data on ACC claims following a fall, hospital admission due to a fall, average bed days and hip fracture indicators.
Falls-related injury prevention, with a focus on older adults, is also a high priority for both ACC and the Ministry of Health. The Commission is working closely with both organisations to support the sector in this important area that requires ongoing commitment and vigilance.
The Reducing Harm from Falls programme has planned a number of initiatives for April Falls 2015, all of which support the theme ‘Stand up to Falls’.
Key activities for April include:
- Promoting April Falls – a number of resources have been developed to support April Falls, including individual DHB posters with atlas falls data, pens, lanyards etc. If you would like any of these resources please let us know.
- Annual April Falls Quiz
- Release of the Atlas of Healthcare Variation falls domain, on 1 April
- Webinar 1: From Atlas to Action – How to use the Atlas of Healthcare Variation falls domain, Tuesday 14 April 2015, 8–9am. Send an email to connor@hqsc.govt.nzasking to take part and you will be sent a calendar invite. On the day, click on the link in the invite to join the meeting.
- Competition: Send us photos of your April Falls display and win (connor@hqsc.govt.nz). All photos will go on the Commission’s website, and there are chocolate fish up for grabs for the winner!
Useful resources for April include:
- Topic 1: Falls in older people – the impacts
- Topic 9: improving balance and strength to prevent falls
- Topic 10: an integrated approach to falls in older people: what’s your part
- Ask, assess, act: pocketcard and information posters
Visit the website for further information on ‘Stand up to Falls’.
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