June is National Safety Month: Medication safety and falls are two of the more common safety hazards today.
Medication Safety
Prescription painkiller overdoses are a growing problem in the United States, especially among women. About 60 people die from opioid pain medications daily; 22,000 people each year. Painkillers drive addiction and overdose. Therefore, it’s important to follow best practices when prescribing opioids for your patients.
The CDC highlights three main focus areas in its safe prescribing guideline:
- Determining when to initiate or continue opioids for chronic pain
- Opioid selection, dosage, duration, follow-up and discontinuation
- Assessing risk and addressing harms of opioid use
The Great Plains QIN is partnering with providers, pharmacists and stakeholders in the region to improve medications safety. We are targeting Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) consumers taking three or more medications, including at least one of these high-risk medications: anticoagulants, diabetic agents and/or opioids, for improvement. Tools, education and trainings will be offered. Learn more.
Decreasing Falls
Adults 65 and older are also at risk for falls. Injuries from falls can lead to limited activity and reduced mobility. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- One in three older adults falls each year
- About 2.5 million non-fatal falls were treated in emergency departments in 2013
- Of those, 734,000 people were admitted to the hospital
- That year, 25,500 older adults died from unintentional falls
- More than 250,000 hip fractures are reported every year, and 95 percent of those are from falls
Some of the underlying causes of adult falls include muscle weakness, medications that cause dizziness, improper footwear, impaired vision, slick floors and poor lighting.
Great Plains QIN is uniting nursing homes in a collaborative structure to share tools, knowledge and experiences for improving resident safety and clinical processes and reducing preventable healthcare conditions. For more information on the work we are doing in these areas, visit our nursing home page for additional information and resources.
Source: National Safety Council