4. Plan Implementation, Hang Posters, Establish Kickoff Date
Before beginning this step, you should have confirmed your unit’s Fall TIPS champions. Now you’ll work with the champions and nurse manager to decide on the poster format to be used, train nursing staff, and set the date for starting poster use with patients.
Implementing Fall TIPS requires close coordination among champions, nurses, and the entire care team
Review the Implementation Steps with Champions and Nurse Director
Using the Fall TIPS Implementation Checklists (there is one checklist specifically for champions, and another for nurse directors) work with the champions and nurse director to ensure everyone is aware of and understands their roles and the steps involved in implementing Fall TIPS.
Identify the Poster Display Area in Patient Rooms, and Hang Laminated Posters (if using)
Whether using the laminated Fall TIPS posters or printouts from the electronic version of Fall TIPS, they should always be at the patient’s eye level near the communication board, and should always be visible to hospital staff, patients, and patient families.
The laminated reusable poster attaches to the wall or communication board with Velcro. Between patients, nursing staff simply wipe off the poster and start with a clean version for the next patient in the room.
In units that use the electronic version of Fall TIPS, within the EHR system: nursing staff conduct the fall assessment within the EHR, print out the patient’s Fall TIPS plan and attach the printout to the communication board with a magnet or clip, or place it in a plastic holder. When a patient is discharged, staff remove and securely discard the printout to protect patient privacy.
Make Key Fall TIPS Educational Resources Available to Nursing Staff
These resources are accessible online via this website, and they could also be printed and assembled into a binder to have on hand for reference during and after implementation. All contents can be downloaded and printed from the following links:
Fall TIPS Champion Training Slides (3-hour) A PowerPoint presentation designed to educate Fall TIPS Champions on how to complete the three-step fall prevention process. This presentation includes slides on the evidence behind Fall TIPS and how to conduct a fall risk assessment using the Morse Fall Scale. It also includes three breakout exercises: a fall prevention best practices gap analysis, a peer feedback exercise related to the Fall TIPS auditing process, and a series of case studies with answers.
Fall TIPS Training Slides (1-hour) A concise PowerPoint presentation designed to educate staff nurses on how to complete the three-step fall prevention process. Focuses primarily on how to conduct a fall risk assessment using the Morse Fall Scale and includes a case study at the end.
Fall TIPS Information Sheet for Patients (Spanish) A one-page guide that explains to patients the importance of fall prevention in the hospital and prompts them to ask their care team about Fall TIPS.
Test Your Staff’s Knowledge Before and After Training
Our team has developed and validated an 11-item Fall Prevention Knowledge Test. We encourage you to use to tool to evaluate your staff’s knowledge before and after using our training resources.
Set Your Fall TIPS Kickoff Date and Training Schedule
Work with the nurse director to set up a schedule for delivering the Fall TIPS Training presentation to all unit staff. Consider setting up enough sessions to ensure that all staff can attend. Your kickoff date is the date when the Fall TIPS posters will start to be used with patients. This date should ideally occur once 80% of staff have been trained.
Some implementations have benefited from holding a “kick-off week,” where once or twice a day, implementation leaders and champions offer quick in-service training on the units as nursing staff are available.
4. Plan Implementation, Hang Posters, Establish Kickoff Date