Category: Federal Forum Posters
Purpose: Patient falls are costly to the healthcare system. Within the VA, patient falls in the CLC and PCU account for 46 percent of the total falls facility wide. The VA uses the Morse Scale to assess these populations for fall risk. This scale doesn’t consider medications. Polypharmacy is an important risk factor. The Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool (JHFRAT) is a scale that integrates medications into fall risk. The purpose of this study is to compare the JHFRAT to the Morse Scale to assess if it is an accurate predictor of patient fall risk in CLC and PCU patients.
Methods: This is a retrospective chart review. All Veterans will have been assessed for fall risk using the Morse Scale. The investigators will assess Veterans per the JHFRAT. To assess these same patients for fall risk using the JHFRAT, data will be collected from the Jackson VAMC’s computerized patient record system (CPRS). The Patient Safety Reporting system’s adverse event report and a chart review will be used to record the documented falls. A waiver of informed consent has been requested in order to de-identify the information received. Data to be collected includes: age, medications, race, fall history, bowel status, patient care equipment, mobility, medical history and cognition. Our study populations includes, residents of the CLC and PCU from January 1, 2017 to December, 31,2017. Veterans are excluded if they have insufficient information documented in the CPRS for stratification. The primary outcome we will be observing is the number of patients with a documented fall. Secondary outcomes include the number of Veterans who had a change in risk stratification between the Morse Scare and the JHFRAT, the proportion of falls based on the change in patient risk, and the medication class most associated with falls.
Results: Not applicable
Conclusion: Not applicable
Roslyn Ratcliff
– Pharmacy Resident, G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center, Jackson, MS132 Views