Fall Risk Program for Oncology Inpatients: Addition of the "Traffic Light" Fall Risk Assessment Tool.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of falls on inpatient oncology units indicated the need for quality improvement. This project aimed to reduce falls by implementing a fall reduction plan including the "Traffic Light" Fall Risk Assessment Tool (TL-FRAT).

LOCAL PROBLEM: We retrospectively reviewed the oncology unit fall data from January 2013 to September 2014 and found that the average fall incidence was high.

METHODS: The project used a program evaluation design, and the process was guided by Kotter's 8-step change model.

INTERVENTIONS: We implemented the TL-FRAT to classify oncology inpatients at a high risk of falling in advance.

RESULTS: The average fall incidence and falls with injury during the project were reduced.

CONCLUSIONS: Adding the TL-FRAT to the fall protocol on the units effectively reduced the incidence of falls related to impaired mobility. The TL-FRAT can improve nurses' sensitivity to falls related to impaired mobility and, subsequently, guide corresponding fall prevention strategies.