Falls prevention for elders in acute care: an evidence-based nursing practice initiative.

The purpose of this article is to describe and measure the impact of a multifaceted program developed to reduce the falls rate on an acute medical unit at an academic tertiary care center. According to national benchmarks, this unit was one of the hospital's top 3 units for numbers of falls for several years. That distinction drove the hospital and unit leadership and a staff-led unit practice council to develop an evidence-based intervention plan.