MDS Alert

Follow these four steps to success.

Just like the Clinical Practice Guideline for Falls in Long-term Care utilizes four steps to prevent falls, there are four basic steps in implementing this CPG in your facility, says Barbara Resnick, PhD, ANP, professor at the Maryland School of Nursing, and subcommittee chair for the 2011 revision of the Falls CPG.

Educate staff about the guideline;

• Teach necessary skills (falls evaluation);
• Provide encouragement from administration . . . they are excellent health care providers and can implement these guidelines; and
• Guideline implementation is to assure adherence to state and federal guidelines and improve care.

Anticipate problems:

• Prepare for perceived or real increased workload;
• Establish additional secretarial support if possible for copying and charting issues;
• Encourage verbalization of feelings about having to follow guidelines; and
• Identify who will do what!

• Provide examples of how guidelines have been implemented in other settings and outcomes related to implementation; and
• Start one unit at a time and let that unit lead the others.

Evaluate outcomes following implementation and demonstration improvements in adherence to state and federal guidelines as well as resident outcomes.

Source: Barbara Resnick, PhD, ANP, professor at the Maryland School of Nursing, and subcommittee chair for the 2011 revision of the Falls CPG, from her presentation at the March 2012 AMDA Long Term Care Medicine conference.