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here. CONTACT ------------------------------------ Joint Commission Urges Americans to ‘Speak Up’ Tips for hospital patients, nursing home residents and patients at home (OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. – July 28, 2010) Each year, millions of people—from elderly nursing home residents to hospitalized children to women who have just given birth—are injured by falls in health care facilities and homes. The Joint Commission today launched a national campaign to help Americans reduce the risk of falling. The new education campaign, which is part of The Joint Commission’s award-winning Speak Up™ program, recognizes that falls are a serious problem. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that falls are the second leading cause of injury-related deaths for people ages 65 and older, and are the most common cause of injuries and hospital admissions among the elderly. (Source: CDC, NCHS. Mortality Data Tapes. Hyattsville, MD: the Center, 1998.) Reducing injuries, disabilities and deaths from falls has even been included as part of the Healthy People 2010 program. The national Healthy People 2010 objectives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services identify the most significant preventable threats to health and establish national goals to reduce these threats. “Falls can cause serious to life-threatening injuries; however, there are steps people can take at home or in a health care facility to reduce their risk of falling. We want people to be aware of these simple yet important precautions and avoid preventable injuries,” says Mark R. Chassin, M.D., M.P.P., M.P.H., president, The Joint Commission. The new Speak Up™ campaign offers tips and actions that will help people reduce the risk of falling, whether at home or in a medical facility. Among the topics are:
The framework of the Speak Up™ program urges patients to:
Speak Up™ brochures also are available on preventing errors in medical care for children, finding pain relief, understanding caregivers, understanding medical tests, recovering after leaving the hospital, preventing medication mistakes, preventing infections, preparing to become a living organ donor, avoiding wrong site surgery and preventing errors in care. Brochures can be found at http://www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/SpeakUp/. All of the Speak Up™ brochures are available in an easy-to-read format and in Spanish. ### Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 17,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 9,500 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,300 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. In addition, The Joint Commission also provides certification of more than 1,000 disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org. ------------------------------------ View the brochure "Speak Up™: Interview our experts about the importance of fall prevention: Facts about Facts about Print-friendly ------------------------------------
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