Graduation Year

2019

Degree Type

Open Access Capstone

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

Department Name when Degree Awarded

Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing

First Advisor

Gina L. Purdue

Department Affiliation

Nursing

Second Advisor

Nancy G. Owens

Department Affiliation

Nursing

Third Advisor

Shannon Shumaker

Department Affiliation

Nursing

Abstract

In the United States between 700,000 to 1,000,000 people fall in hospitals each year. Reducing patient falls in the inpatient setting remains a challenge for many acute care hospitals. Inpatient falls can lead to serious injuries such as fractures and internal bleeding. Fall-related complications can lead to increased hospital stay, prolonged rehabilitation, and increased healthcare costs. Inpatient falls are considered preventable. One intervention commonly used to prevent falls and keep patients safe is the use of an in-person sitter or a patient safety companion (PSC). However, sitters are very costly and considered a variable staffing resource. The need for a sitter can be difficult to predict and adequately staff. Many organizations are looking for ways to reduce sitter usage and costs. Research suggests reducing sitter use does not negatively influence patient fall rates and fall with injury rates. An alternative solution to reduce sitter usage is mobile video monitoring. Mobile video monitoring is an innovative tool that has been shown to significantly reduce healthcare cost and reduce patient falls and falls with injury. The purpose of this project was to implement mobile video monitoring to decrease fall incidences, fall with injury incidences, and decrease sitter usage and costs. Demographic data, sitter hours, falls, and fall with injury incidences were collected. Results indicated no significant difference in falls and falls with injury with use of mobile video monitoring versus an in-person sitter. Sitter hours and sitter costs decreased with use of mobile video monitoring during the 44 day pilot.

IRB Approval Number (if applicable)

Protocol # 002018

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