Blog: Fall Rate Reduction at PIH Whittier

A significant topic of concern regarding inpatient care in the hospital setting is preventing patient falls. It is estimated that up to 20% of patients will fall during their hospitalization, with up to 50% of those falls resulting in some form of injury. Reducing falls and fall related events continue to be a focus for hospitals nationwide. Learn how a west coast hospital reduced patient fall rates using CareView’s innovative virtual care solutions and just how substantial the overall impact was for patients, families, and the hospital staff.

 

CareView and PIH Health Whittier

In 2020, PIH Health Whittier, a community hospital in Whittier, CA connected with CareView to discuss CareView’s Virtual Sitting solution. The PIH Health team was looking to enhance the safety of its hospital patients, and CareView’s solution, which leverages AI and patented predictive technology, had demonstrated impact in over 200 hospitals nationwide.

 

The Approach

 CareView and PIH Health Whittier implemented virtual video monitoring on six Medical/ Surgical units, the Acute Rehabilitation unit, and the Transitional Care unit in a 523-bed community hospital. All Registered Nurses and Nurse Assistant staff on the intervention units received 45 minutes of classroom-based education on the video monitoring system. All patients were screened for fall risk using the Johns Hopkins risk assessment tool. The fall risk was assessed on admission, once a shift, and upon any clinical change. Standard fall prevention measures continued post-video monitoring implementation.

Risk factors included but were not limited to:

• Confusion
• Impulsivity
• Unsteady gait
• Demonstrated non-adherence to safety instruction

All falls that occurred post-video monitoring implementation were evaluated for video monitoring eligibility.

Seven months post-implementation, an alert was added in the electronic health record to notify the primary nurse that the patient qualified for virtual video monitoring based on the fall assessment completed within the shift.

 

Calculating Patient Fall Rate

Fall rates were calculated using a standard industry formula. This formula is included below.

 

Results

Within the first 6 months of onboarding CareView’s solution, PIH Health Whittier saw a 31% improvement in patient fall rate. This positive progress has been sustained over the lifecycle of the system’s relationship with CareView.

The data obtained for 2023 and through 2024 Q3 shows that CareView’s monitoring solution has a continued significant impact in the reduction of patient falls.

Data from PIH Health Whittier’s utilization of CareView over 2023 and 2024, along with data that was collected when CareView was not used, is outlined below.

 

Taking care of our customers is at the heart of what we do. From providing innovative, cutting-edge technology solutions that enhance patient experience and safety, to offering on-site customer support, we are with you every step of the way.

 

If you are interested in learning more or would like to see a demo of our product(s), please get in touch with us. We would love to connect and discuss how we can partner with you.