falls

Running head: FALLS A RISK MANAGEMENT ISSUE











Falls a Risk Management Issue
Alero Ekata
University of Phoenix
MSBSN15
November 17, 2003
Shelby Frutchey





Falls
In the 1970’s, there was an increase in malpractice litigation which forced Health care Facilities to find ways to prevent lawsuits and to control costs associated with it. Initially, hospitals and physicians were the target of malpractice lawsuits. But as nursing practice continued to evolve into more specialized roles with greater autonomy and accountability, subsequently, nurses now find themselves named as codefendant to lawsuits. Not only did the malpractice actions contributed to the need for internal programs that deal with risk, but the importance of this is highly emphasized by health care agencies during routine surveys. These regulatory agencies are: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health care Organizations (JCAHO), Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), and the O...