Every second an older adult falls in America. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately 2.8 million older adults are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries every year, including 800,000 hospitalizations and more than 27,000 deaths. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports that between 700,000 and a million people fall in the hospital each year. Significant research has been conducted over the last several decades to minimize harm and mortality due to falls but the topic still remains one of the great challenges facing hospitals today.

Our APSS outline actionable steps healthcare organizations should take to successfully implement and sustain behavior change for high reliability, shared understanding, thorough communication, and meaningful person-centered care across the organization.

Actionable steps include:

• Executive Summary Checklist
• Leadership checklist guide to determine whether current evidence-based guidelines are being followed in your organization
• Performance improvement plan to follow if improvements are necessary
• Clinical workflow for preoccupation with workflow for areas of improvement
• How to educate patients and family members about the significance of their role throughout the continuum
• Guidance on how to measure outcomes