Quality improvement in nursing homes: testing of an alarm elimination program.

Falls are the most common cause of injury deaths and nonfatal injuries in older adults. In an effort to detect a resident's movement, many nursing homes use bed or chair alarms to alert staff that the resident may get up and possibly fall. However, there is little evidence that bed or chair alarms prevent falls, and mounting evidence that alarms can impede the functional status and negatively impact feelings of dignity among older adults in nursing homes. The purpose of this article was to describe the development and pilot testing of an alarm elimination program for nursing homes. A program aimed at decreasing or eliminating the use of alarms may enhance quality of life of older adults in nursing homes.