Milton Hospital Nurses Ready to Catch a Falling Star Milton, Mass. - The Milton Hospital nursing department has launched its Falling Star Program, a risk-assessment and prevention plan to reduce patient falls. Falls are the nation's leading cause of non-fatal injury. They account for 87 percent of fractures among people aged 65 and older, and are the second leading cause of spinal cord and brain injury. Falls are the most common adverse event occurring in healthcare facilities. The Falling Star Program helps Milton Hospital nurses to identify risk factors that may lead to a patient fall, and provides several strategies for preventing falls. Prevention strategies include the use of bed or chair sensors that alert nurses to a patient on the move, and bright-colored bracelets and room signage that denote a high-risk patient. "The Falling Star Program is an enhancement of the past fall prevention program at Milton Hospital. The entire healthcare team assumes an active role in fall prevention, supporting our hospital-wide commitment to enhance patient safety," said Susan Mangini, MSN, RN, Vice President of Patient Care Services. Several factors may put a patient at risk for a serious fall, including cognitive impairment, an unsteady gait, use of certain medications, advanced age, a previous history of falls and more. Aside from identifying these patient risk factors, the program seeks to eliminate external risk factors, such as poor lighting, cluttered equipment or slippery floors. Milton Hospital has 250 physicians on staff, representing primary care and several medical specialties. The 113-bed community hospital offers affiliated programs with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and provides a wide range of inpatient and outpatient specialties. The hospital has free on-site parking and is easily accessible by Routes 93, 3 and 95.

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