Will Use Of Electronic Health Records Help To Prevent Patient Falls In Nursing Homes?

Abt Wins Contract to Answer This Question

Abt Associates has won a contract to determine if routine review of patients’ reports generated from electronic health records (EHRs) will prevent falls in long-term care settings. The $721,435 contract, awarded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), involves piloting and evaluating a program that trains front-line nursing home staff to check patients’ risk factors for falls and establish interventions to avert them.

“This is one of the first health information technology (health IT) applications targeted towards a team-based prevention process, rather than to individual clinicians, to improve patient outcomes,” said Lauren Olsho, Senior Associate at Abt Associates and lead for this project.

Under the On-Time Falls Prevention Program, developed by Abt’s subcontractor, Health Management Strategies, staff in long-term care facilities will be trained to learn how to determine from electronic health record reports if a patient has new risk factors for falls, Olsho explained.  “This information will allow them to intervene by providing the patient with a cane or walker, for example, before a fall happens. Abt will evaluate outcomes over the course of the two-year contract.”

Abt recently completed an evaluation of a similar nursing home intervention to prevent new pressure ulcers, commonly known as bed sores. This intervention also incorporates staff reviews of patient electronic health records to determine risk factors.

“Our evaluations are identifying the impact of electronic health records on certain health outcomes,” said Scott Royal, Ph.D., vice president of Abt’s U.S. Health Division. “It’s important work that will significantly contribute to increasing the quality of our health care system.”

About Abt Associates
Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader in research and program implementation in the fields of health, social and environmental policy, and international development. Known for its rigorous approach to solving complex challenges, Abt Associates was ranked as one of the top 20 global research firms in 2011 and also named one of the top 40 international development innovators. The company has multiple offices in the U.S. and program offices in nearly 40 countries.