Design and Implementation of an Inpatient Fall Risk Management Information System

Abstract

Background: Falls had been identified as one of the nursing-sensitive indicators for nursing care in hospitals. With technological progress, health information systems make it possible for health care professionals to manage patient care better. However, there is a dearth of research on health information systems used to manage inpatient falls. Objective: This study aimed to design and implement a novel hospital-based fall risk management information system (FRMIS) to prevent inpatient falls and improve nursing quality. Methods: This implementation was conducted at a large academic medical center in central China. We established a nurse-led multidisciplinary fall prevention team in January 2016. The hospital’s fall risk management problems were summarized by interviewing fall-related stakeholders, observing fall prevention workflow and post–fall care process, and investigating patients' satisfaction. The FRMIS was developed using an iterative design process, involving collaboration among health care professionals, software developers, and system architects. We used process indicators and outcome indicators to evaluate the implementation effect. Results: The FRMIS includes a fall risk assessment platform, a fall risk warning platform, a fall preventive strategies platform, fall incident reporting, and a tracking improvement platform. Since the implementation of the FRMIS, the inpatient fall rate was significantly lower than that before implementation (P