falls traffic light system

Specialties Rehabilitation

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Has anyone heard about a falls traffic light system? Eg Red - means patient needs assistance at all times, Yellow (amber) patient needs supervison and Green Patient is OK? I would love it if someone could point me in the right direction.

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Specializes in FNP.

I'd love to know more about this also. I tried to find research related to 'stop light' or 'traffic light' etc., but had very little luck. I think we could implement this easily in our unit if I had data to support it. If you get more information, please share - thank you!

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Hi I have found some hospitals in Australia that use it - I am asking for the data now - let see how I go.

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Specializes in Physical Rehabilitation, med-surg.

We use a red/yellow/green system.

On admission, the admitting nurse completes the FAST = Fall Assessment Screenint Tool. The result of that puts the patient at either a high (red), moderate (yellow), or low (green).

Any patient who is a red 'tag' has a bed alarm and wheelchair alarm. They can not be left unattended in the bathroom or in their room unless they are in bed. All of our red tagged patients have this red tag/sticker on their wheelchair, above their bed, and at the doorway.

A yellow tagged patient may be left alone in their room unattended, and they do not have alarms. They can call for help appropriately, and may sometimes also have BRP or be independent in their room.

We rarely use the green tag, but it is very similar to yellow. Usually that person is independent, but they don't have to be.

Is this what you're talking about, or was I totally missing your question?:D

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we use traffic lights red/amber/green

do a fall risk on admission and weekly at minuin

red bed at lowest saftey rails if agreed with buzzer to hand nurse used for all transfers walks

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Specializes in Tele/Pulmonary, geriatric, hem/onc, m/s.

I brought this idea up at our Unit Practice Council meeting...for some reason our fall rate has GREATLY increased.

my idea: post color tags at each door (private rooms) and each one has their special meaning:

RED: bedrest/bedbound

Yellow: up with assist only

green: up as tolerated/ up ad lib

we would use this for their specific activity ORDER by the doctor. we also use the Hendrich II fall scale upon admission.....greater than 5 is a HIGH fall risk, lower than 5 is low fall risk. a "high" fall risk is designated by a "FALLING STAR" on each door. Currently the star is the ONLY thing we use...but just bc someone was ordered up ad lib, according to the scale they could be a fall risk.....(if that makes sense) so we wanted to implement BOTH to give us more info.

our other motive is that ANY STAFF member that walks in the room has an idea of what the person's capabilities are.......you could walk into a lil old woman yelling that she has to get up and go to the bathroom....but if you didn't know her...how could you really know she could get up? (then you'd have to leave the room, find out her capabilities etc etc)

Our biggest problem isn't assisted falls (while we are in the room) its the un-assisted falls that we are battling. We did an audit....and just after midnight was our witching hour so to speak. ugh.......its SO frustrating!

hope this helps a lil....and when we actually implement something, i'll let ya know :)

~Brandi

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Has anyone heard about a falls traffic light system? Eg Red - means patient needs assistance at all times, Yellow (amber) patient needs supervison and Green Patient is OK? I would love it if someone could point me in the right direction.

Here is an article with the trafffic light info you are asking about. https://www.premierinc.com/safety/topics/falls/downloads/E-14-falls-project-uk.pdf

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