Capitol Medical Center recognised for patient safety initiative at Healthcare Asia Awards 2026

The hospital reduced fall incidents in its General Nursing Unit through a structured quality improvement programme focused on education, risk assessment, and staff training.

Capitol Medical Center received an accolade in the Patient Safety Initiative of the Year - Philippines category at the Healthcare Asia Awards 2026 for its “Lean On Me: Supporting Safety, Preventing Falls” project. The award recognised the hospital’s structured approach to reducing inpatient fall incidents in its General Nursing Unit (GNU) through a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) programme.

Between 2023 and 2024, 17 fall incidents were recorded in the General Nursing Unit out of 10,243 admissions, equivalent to 0.17%. Examination of incident reports and admission documentation followed. The Nursing Service Division worked alongside the Continuous Quality Improvement Department and the Business Development and Marketing Department to analyse contributory factors. Four issues were consistently identified: insufficient health education and orientation at admission, inconsistent application of fall risk assessments, absence of clear fall risk signage, and gaps in staff training related to fall prevention protocols.

Corrective actions were introduced over two months, from November to December 2024. Orientation pamphlets were produced and issued to newly admitted patients and educational materials outlining fall precautions were placed inside patient rooms. The Fall Assessment Tool within the Comprehensive Nursing Admission and Assessment Form was amended to formally integrate the Morse Fall Scale. Nursing personnel attended training sessions covering risk scoring, classification thresholds, and required interventions. In addition, colour-coded signage and door markers were deployed to distinguish patients assessed as high risk.

A formal evaluation phase ran from January to June 2025 and included 3,777 admissions within the unit. During this interval, the incidence rate fell to 0.05%. When measured against the earlier 0.17% baseline, this represented a 70.6% decrease.

Financial records were reviewed concurrently. Fall-related management costs declined within the first six months of implementation, and comparative cost analysis demonstrated a reduction in incident-related spending following the intervention period.

Lean On Me formalised procedures covering admission briefing, structured fall risk assessment, reassessment at each nursing shift, and documentation requirements within the General Nursing Unit. Oversight measures were embedded into routine workflow, placing monitoring responsibility within standard clinical operations rather than separate reporting structures.

Healthcare Asia Awards is an awards programme focused on acknowledging exceptional hospitals across Asia that redefine the standards of excellence in the healthcare industry. It proudly shines a spotlight on Asian hospitals that consistently go beyond conventional boundaries to provide top-tier patient care and have a lasting impact on their local communities.

The Healthcare Asia Awards is presented by Healthcare Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2027 awards programme and be acclaimed for your organisation's remarkable initiatives and contributions to the healthcare industry, please contact Julie Anne Nuñez-Difuntorum at [email protected].