Postpartum fall risk assessment

[htrn]

Good Morning

We are working on a fall assessment for our postpartum moms and I just have one, silly, little question. How much blood loss puts a mom at risk for a fall related to the blood loss? We are going with 500ml, but I am looking for some sort of resource for that number and I am striking out. Any ideas??

Thanks folks.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Let us know how the survey goes and what you learn, please? I am very interested.

[imenid37]

To heck with fall scales, thats how we do it in our heads, right? It makes sense so why create another piece of paper to fill out? Make it a written policy and then just do it without the additional paperwork.

I am grateful for Heather's scale, however, I gotta agree w/ you there. I often feel like we are making up paperwork to document just having common sense. We don't really need to know how many points on a scale someone is to know we need to watch them more closely for falling. Thanks JCAHO. Our physician reviewer was a real piece of work!

[htrn]

As far as DVT prophylaxis - all vag deliveries have homan's signed assessed with VS. Our C-section moms get SCDs for the first two nights after delivery. If we have a longer term mag patient, we may do TEDs as well. If there is any history of DVT then the docs will usually put them in TEDs regardless of type of delivery.

As far as reportable events in Wisconsin - I'm flying off the seat of my pants here, but the Birth Certificate Data sheet that goes to the state lists maternal/postpartum complications that they want checked off as: maternal death, postpartum hemorrhage, wound infection, mastitis, endometritis, abx initiated >24hrs post delivery, thromboembolic disease, anemia with transfusion, anemia with iron, HCT 11 or HGB>3.5, and UTI. I think that 4th degrees are reported, or at leasted tracked, as well as EBL for vag delivery of >500ml or c-section >1000ml.

Like I said though, I'm not sure if this is a 'reportable' or if this is just something that is tracked.

[MemphisOBRNC, BSN, RN]

Well our mock survey was delayed until later in the week. I'll keep you posted. One thing that our illustrious Infection Control department made us do in preparation was to remove all the supplies from our infant cribs like alcohol wipes, 2 x 2's, heel stickers, temperature probe adhesive, red and purple top tubes, heel warmers, foot print pads etc. (We keep several of each in the top drawer of all our cribs.) They said we could 'cross contaminate' however we were allowed to keep all the ISE's, IUPC's amnihooks etc. in the drawer of our fetal monitor. Today I had to leave EVERY room I went into to go get supplies I needed. I asked our Director if she knew if this was a JCAHO rule or Infection Control's? At my previous hospital, we were allowed to keep all those items in the crib. Any input?

[Lisa CCU RN, RN]

bump.....