Designing and evaluating an electronic patient falls reporting system: Perspectives for the implementation of health information technology in long-term residential care facilities

Patient falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury and death among older adults. In 2000, falls resulted in over 10,300 elderly deaths, costing the United States approximately 179 million in incidence and medical costs. Furthermore, non-fatal injuries caused by falls cost the United States 9 billion annually. Health information technology (IT) applications, specifically electronic falls reporting systems, can aid quality improvement...