Hospitals in Washington state are required by law to report to the state department of health all incidences of patient falls.
Nurses in Minnesota applaud this much – needed move toward transparency, and look forward to January 1, 2014 when our state’s hospitals will enter a new phase of public disclosure with quarterly reports on staffing levels. We think it will have the same impact as what was seen in Washington with the falls report, as indicated by this NPR story.
“The Washington hospital with the most falls in recent years is Auburn Medical Center. Last year, after new owners bought the small hospital, they overhauled its safety procedures and increased staff by more than 100. Hospital management says Auburn’s rate of falls fell by two-thirds in less than a year.”
