As a dedicated change agent in the healthcare setting, the nurse should prioritize fall risk assessment at the start of the shift. Ensuring that all fall-risk patients assigned have their bed alarms on will significantly reduce the rate of fall incidents on the unit.

My commitment extends to advocating for safer bed alarm units, specifically those operated with a battery and without a long cord, which are safer in a psychiatry unit.

Patient safety is at the heart of nursing professionals’ scope of practice. As a licensed registered nurse, my professional role in a hospital setting is to explain the task and process of fall assessment. This serves as an objective baseline for the additional evaluation and is a testament to nurses’ vital role in keeping patients safe. Collecting pertinent objective and subjective data through critical signs checks, neuro checks, and Schmid scale fall assessment is within the standard of practice.

Fall risk assessment is a nursing practice within the state law that protects and ensures patient safety while in the care of healthcare professionals. Accreditation bodies like the Joint Commission ensure that nurses and healthcare professionals maintain and reduce fall incidents through the Nurse Practice Act.  participate in the documentation of patient’s fall risk assessment on admission and once twice during my shift, especially for Elderly patients and patients on antipsychotic medications.

Institutional Policies and Procedures: The facility where I work currently requires patients to be assessed for fall risk using the Schmid scale on admission. This should be done twice during the shift, and each patient’s Schmid scale assessment should be performed and documented. The Schmid scale helps determine if a patient is at low, moderate, or high fall risk.

Self-Determination: Patient safety is the utmost priority for a registered nurse. It is the nurse’s responsibility to practice within the nursing profession’s standards as established by the state statutes and the policies and procedures of my facility. I also apply self-determination in assessing my competencies at intervals and accepting lifelong learning responsibilities. As a self-determined nurse, it is our responsibility to be fully informed and aware of the regulations governing nursing practice and the nurse’s accountabilities.