Should a Fall Prevention Program be Implemented on an OB Unit for Every Laboring and Postpartum Patient

Initial Discussion Post: Fall prevention is a national patient safety goal of The Joint Commission and is considered a standard of practice in most institutions. The obstetric population is considered a healthy group of patients. Should a fall prevention program be implemented on an OB unit for every laboring and postpartum patient?

• Describe two factors that place the obstetric patient at risk for falls. Explain why the identified factors increase the obstetric patients risk for injury.

• Describe how the implementation of a fall prevention program on the OB unit would help to improve patient outcomes.

• Describe the role of the RN in the implementation of a fall prevention program on an obstetric unit.. Base your post on your readings and research of the topic.

Discussion must include:

•  Contain a minimum of 250 words. References, citations, and repeating the question do not count towards the 250 word minimum. The initial post is the first post made whether or not it contains any content. A blank initial post will be graded zero points by the instructor.
• Contain at least one (1) current professional nursing reference.

o A current professional nursing reference is from current (five [5] years old or less) professional sources published in the United States.

o Sources such as Wikipedia, Medicine Net, nursing blogs etc. are not professional nursing resources and do not count towards the one (1) reference minimum.

Display use of academic writing. Academic writing is expected to be precise, semi-formal, impersonal, and objective. (Nordquist, 2015, para. 2). Have all sources cited within discussion post and on reference list formatted correctly using APA guidelines. • Kee, J., Hayes, E., & McCuistion, L. (2015). Pharmacology: A nursing process approach (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.