Fall risk score for Peds?

[amandagbrink]

Does anyone else have to chart fall risk scores on their pediatric ED patients? To me this is the height of absurdity and regulatory overreach. Toddlers fall a hundred times a day, so do we need to have an intervention plan with an autumn leaf on the door and a yellow wristband for them? Do we need to make sure a tech assists them walking everywhere? I don't mind if the inpatient nurses want to chart fall risk scores along with their Braden scales and care plans, but asking Pedi ED nurses to chart fall risk scores on every ear pain and sore throat that walks through the door is ridiculous and a waste of time.

[OldDude]

We have to do that at the Urgent Care I work at. We see 80 to 100 kids on the weekend days. I can't think of anything more ridiculous that's come along since the last ridiculous requirement - the pediatric pain scale. I chart that the toddlers are a fall risk but I also chart "no intervention". I get the "Are you sure?" flag but just click "yes."

[ohiobobcat]

Yep. We have to chart pedi fall risk, too. At least they actually got us a pedi fall risk assessment in Cerner finally. We were required to chart pedi fall risk on the adult Braden fall risk scale, which mad NO sense to me.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Everyone in the ER is a high fall risk. THERE. That fixes the paperwork issue, and you don't need to flag anyone because they are all the same. People's conditions change so much, and they get so many meds that you can defend the decision and make everyone's life easier. That's how a manager I used to know dealt with the situation.

[wyosamRN]

That drives me crazy- we are supposed to do a fall risk assessment on everyone that walks through the door, including peds. Then every single one of them gets the same fall risk band because by policy, everyone in the ED is a high fall risk. Makes it fun to communicate that someone actually does have an increased risk of falling.

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

All Peds pts are fall and drop risks. Your intervention should be educate the parents.

There is a Peds fall risk scale and an infant drop risk scale, but in the ED they all are and the main intervention is parental education.