Healthcare Organization Context
The risk management plan applies to an 84-bed long-term care facility that provides personal and medical support services to patients who are not able to live independently. The population consists of elderly people, some suffering from chronic and mental health diseases, who rely on assistive devices to engage in activities of daily living. The risk management plan enhances the safety of elderly residents and improves their quality of life.
Community-Based Intervention Plan
Community-based interventions refer to initiatives and programs that focus on improving the health and well-being of various population groups. These interventions are multicomponent, requiring multiple tactics to achieve established goals (CDC, 2024). The risk management plan aims to identify and prevent falls among the elderly by focusing on risk factors and implementing multifactorial fall prevention strategies. Falls result in physical effects including bruises, broken bones, and strained muscles, as well as psychological effects such as anxiety, fear of falling, and loss of self-confidence.
Administrative Steps and Processes
There are five standard administrative steps in risk management: risk identification, risk analysis, risk assessment and evaluation, risk treatment, and risk monitoring and evaluation. Risk identification determines operational risks; risk analysis defines the scope; risk evaluation ranks and prioritizes risks; risk treatment refers to mitigation; and monitoring determines plan effectiveness (Ferdosi et al., 2020). The selected plan follows three major steps: fall risk assessment identifying intrinsic factors (poor vision, immobility) and extrinsic factors (slippery floors), tailoring of interventions, and intervention implementation (Sherrington et al., 2020).
Joint Commission Compliance
The MIPPA-approved accrediting body that prevents falls is The Joint Commission. The plan aligns with Joint Commission recommendations: raising awareness, forming an interdisciplinary fall injury prevention team, using standardized tools such as the Morse Falls Scale, developing individualized fall prevention interventions, implementing interventions, and conducting post-fall management strategies (The Joint Commission, 2015).
Key Regulatory Agencies
Federal programs designed to prevent falls include those overseen by the CDC (prevalence data and recommendations), Administration on Community Living (mobility and balance programs), Department of Veterans Affairs (veteran fall prevention information), Department of Housing and Urban Development (home modifications), JCAHO (hospital fall prevention guidelines), and AHRQ (research tools and training) (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2022).
Building a Culture of Compassion
The Bible in Ephesians 4:32 tells us to treat each other with kindness and compassion. In the fall prevention process, caregivers should actively listen to patients, validate their feelings, and show interest in the lives of the elderly. Caregivers should identify unique needs, tailor daily living activities, promote independence, and regularly evaluate the plan.
References
- CDC. (2024). Community prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/falls/interventions/community-prevention.html
- Ferdosi, M., Rezayatmand, R., & Molavi Taleghani, Y. (2020). Risk management in executive levels of healthcare organizations. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 215-243. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7090183/
- Sherrington, C., et al. (2020). Evidence on physical activity and falls prevention. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 17, 1-9. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/S12966-020-01041-3
- The Joint Commission. (2015). Sentinel Event Alert Issue 55. https://www.jointcommission.org/
- U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2022). Older adults and adults with disabilities: Federal programs provide support for preventing falls. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105276
Related: See our quality improvement and risk management paper or healthcare accreditation case study.