Evaluation of a falls prevention programme in an acute tertiary care hospital.

Aims And Objectives: To evaluate a systematic, coordinated approach to limit the severity and minimize the number of falls in an acute care hospital.

Background: Patient falls are a significant cause of preventable injury and death, particularly in older patients. Best practice principles mandate that hospitals identify those patients at risk of falling and implement interventions to prevent or minimize them.

Reporting unplanned extubation.

Between 1995 and 2002 seven clinical audits were undertaken in consecutive periods over twelve months to determine the frequency and risk factors associated with reported unplanned extubation (UE) within a 22-bed general and surgical Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Nursing and medical staff provided information on the patient's age, diagnosis, mental status, precipitating causes and investigations/treatment ordered. Following the first audit, modifications were made to include anonymous reporting.