No One Walks Alone: Fall Prevention Program

Background: Hospitals strive for patient safety, with fall prevention being a top priority. To improve patient safety outcomes, two local hospitals implemented No One Walks Alone (NOWA), an innovative fall prevention program. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the NOWA at Hospital A and Hospital B. The study continues to be part of a national system-wide implementation of NOWA. Methods: All staff were trained in the NOWA program. Hospital A implemented the program March 3, 2014 and Hospital B began implementation on two units on March 18, 2014. Data was collected by monitoring fall rates over a one-month trial period. Results: Data showed a decrease in falls at both hospitals after implementation of NOWA. Discussion/Recommendation: The study was limited to one month of data. Long-term data is needed to better evaluate the effectiveness of the program in both hospitals. Topics that need to be discussed and addressed are patient refusal rates and modified plans for specialty units. Further data analysis can help identify the most effective methods in preventing falls. Hospital B should begin implementation hospital-wide

Biggest Damn Game Ever

Gnome Hollow is a 3D cooperative gardening game meant to be played on a large-scale projected screen. Two players each take control of different tools and must coordinate with each other to grow and maintain a variety of plants. Players can create their own beautiful gnome-inhabited garden without any worries of winning or losing. The goal of this MQP was to create a cute, silly, and stress-free experience for WPI students to play on campus and to meet new people. We conducted several rounds of feedback to determine what our target audience would want to see from the game, test the player experience, and help put everything together near the end of development.We wanted the game to focus mainly on the visuals and audio in order to create a pleasant sensory experience for players. Gnome Hollow was created in the Unity engine for Windows and Mac. This report delves into the development and iterations of the project’s design, art, mechanics, audio, and playtesting. Throughout the project, all team members demonstrated their skills in their respective areas of expertise and were able to create a relaxing yet engaging game