Case Study: Nicklaus Children's Hospital achieves 41% reduction in patient falls with Cerner Millennium EHR

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s evidence-based falls prevention program keeps thousands of children safer around the world

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, part of Miami Children’s Health System, faced a major patient-safety challenge: inpatient falls among children, who are uniquely prone to falls and were not well served by adult-focused protocols. With regulatory bodies like The Joint Commission and the Institute of Medicine calling for fall-reduction programs, the hospital set out to create a pediatric-specific solution.

The result was the Humpty Dumpty Falls Prevention Program™, developed in 2006 by a multidisciplinary team and embedded in the Cerner Millennium EHR to prompt fall-risk assessments each shift. The program’s 1–23 scoring tool (≥12 = high risk) triggers targeted interventions—raised rails, bedside commodes, family education, etc.—and has driven a 41% reduction in falls and fewer injuries (overall rate 0.62 vs. a 1.24 benchmark), earned the 2015 ANCC Magnet Prize, and been adopted by more than 1,150 hospitals in 18 countries.

Nicklaus Children's Hospital

Laura Hernandez

Nurse Practitioner