Sept. 25, 2025
Noon to 1 p.m.
This webinar series occurs on the last Thursday of every month from noon to 1 p.m. ET
Falls are a leading cause of preventable harm in hospitalized patients. To address this, a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and patient care experts has integrated evidence-based practice (EBP) with a fall-prediction tool to enhance patient safety. Attendees will gain first-hand access to these experts and learn how combining EBP with a predictive model can support informed decision-making and improve patient safety and outcomes.
Speakers:
Allison Plata, MSN, CNS, CMSRN, EBP-CH, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist for the medical/surgical and progressive care units at Summa Health. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Kent State University and holds national certifications as a Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN) and in Evidence-based Practice (EBP-CH). Allison serves as Social Media Liaison for the Ohio Clinical Nurse Specialist (OHCNS) Steering Committee and is a member of the NextGen Committee for the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS).
Jenny Morgan, MBA, MSN, RN, is Director of Medical-Surgical Nursing at Summa Health. She has over 13 years of experience and brings strong clinical and leadership expertise spanning staff and leadership roles in medical-surgical and progressive care. She is also dedicated to advancing quality initiatives, including fall prevention and adherence to evidence-based practices that improve patient outcomes.
Rebecca Varkett, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CMSRN, is a board-certified Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist for the medical-surgical and progressive care units at Summa Health. She has over 15 years of clinical experience, earned degrees from Kent State University, Notre Dame College and Cuyahoga Community College, and her professional background includes participation in the Fuld EBP Immersion, High Reliability Training and the ANA Policy Bootcamp.
Sandy Germano, BSN, RN, NE-BC, is System Director of Nursing Data Analytics at Summa Health, where she leads data-driven strategies to advance nursing practice, patient safety and operational performance. A seasoned leader, she has held progressive roles in nursing, quality, and surgical services. Sandra serves as the system’s NDNQI site coordinator, chairs the Fall Prevention Committee, and is active in professional governance. She holds a BSN from the University of Akron and is a member of the Association of Nurse Leaders (AONL).
Learning objectives:
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Describe the limitations of the current fall predictive model in capturing patient risk.
- Explain how evidence-based practice (EBP) can be integrated with predictive analytics to strengthen fall prevention strategies.
The "Enhancing Patient Safety: Integrating Evidence-Based Practice with Fall Predictive Modeling” webinar has been approved for 1.25 nursing contact hours.
To receive credit:
- All participants, regardless of discipline, are required to log attendance using the link that will be provided at the end of the presentation. To receive a nursing CE certificate, participants must also complete the full evaluation.
CE certificates will only be issued to those who meet both requirements.
References:
Pate, K., Rutledge, S. T., & Belin, L. (2023). Clinical nurse specialists using evidence-based practice to prevent falls. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 18-24. https://doi.org/10.1097/NUR.0000000000000791
Dykes, P.C., et al. (2020). Evaluation of a patient-centered fall-prevention tool kit to reduce falls and injuries: A nonrandomized controlled trial. JAMA Network Open, 3(11), e2025889. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.25889
Schmutter, L., & St Fleur-Delbrune, A. (2021). Proactive toileting to prevent inpatient falls. Nursing Management, 42-47. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NUMA.0000795628.24632.4d
Wilson, M., et al. (2022). Designing and implementing a zero harm falls prevention program. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 37(3), 199-205. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000617.
Schiedenhelm, S., et al. (2020). Retrospective analysis of factors associated with a revised fall prevention bundle in hospitalized patients. JONA, 50(11), 571-577. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000000939
Skolka, M. P., et al. (2023). Improving neurology inpatient fall rate: Effect of a collaborative interdisciplinary quality improvement initiative. Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes, 7(4), 267-275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2023.05.004
Hada, A. & Coyer, F. (2020). Shift-to-shift nursing handover interventions associated with improved inpatient outcomes-Falls, pressure injuries, and medication administration errors: An integrative review. Nursing & Health Sciences, 23, 337-351. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12825
Marcus, P., et al. (2021). Utilization of a wellness/mobility technician: Interprofessional inpatient oncology population-focused quality improvement project. International Journal of Safe Patient Handling and Mobility, 11(1), 36-43.
Cho, I., et al. (2021). Clinical impact of an analytic tool for predicting the fall risk in inpatients: Controlled interrupted time series. Journal of Medical Internet Research- Medical Informatics, 9(11), e26456. https://doi.org/10.2196/26456
Rivera, D. F., et al. (2021). Falls with injury in hospitalized adults: Solving the problem with an HER-scored fall risk tool. Journal of Informatics Nursing, 6(2), 23-30.
Wang, L., et al. (2019). Preventing inpatient falls with injuries using integrative machine learning prediction: a cohort study. Nature Partner Journals-Digital Medicine, 127, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-019-0200-3