“The balancing act”— Licensed practical nurse experiences of falls and fall prevention: a qualitative study (original) (raw)
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The Malaysian journal of nursing, 2022
Background: Nurses actively engage in patient care and play an important role in preventing patient falls. However, lack of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding fall prevention contribute to increased incidence of falls. Objectives: This study aims to determine the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices on fall prevention among nurses. Methods: A quantitative design with a cross-sectional survey was used for this study. Nurses working in two teaching hospitals in Selangor were purposively selected (n=147). Data were collected via an online platform using an adapted instrument (α>0.70). Nurses in the current study demonstrated a good level of knowledge (M=16.26; +SD=2.48), positive attitude (M=86.86, +SD=9.54), and high level of practice (M=92.03; +SD=9.96). Moreover, a positive relationship was found between knowledge and attitude, knowledge and practice, and attitude and practice of nurses in fall prevention (p<0.05). On the other hand, nurses' knowledge and attitude differ significantly according to their work experience (p<0.05). In contrast, no significant differences were found between the socio-demographic characteristics and nurses' practice in fall prevention (p>0.05). Results: The results of the current study on the knowledge and attitudes of nursing staff in both hospitals may help to improve fall prevention practices. Conclusion: However, concern was raised that the importance and potential impact of falls on patient outcomes is underestimated, and future studies on a larger scale are recommended.
Nurse Implementation in Preventing the Risk of Fall in Hospital: Literature Review
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Falls are one of the most critical patient safety incidents. This must be prevented as it will have the side effect of injury. Patient safety incident prevention is a system that makes patient care safer, minimizes risk, and prevents injury. However, the system has not been fully implemented so patient safety incidents still often occur and the incidence of patient falls is still high. The purpose of this study was to identify the application of patient safety by nurses in preventing the risk of falling in the hospital. This study uses a literature review method from Pubmed and Google Scholar sources. Search using advanced search with predefined keywords. The search results obtained 13,373 articles, then were assessed for feasibility, categorized, and adapted to the research theme. 20 selected articles were used for research. Nurses are responsible for providing safe nursing services. Patient identification, effective communication, monitoring of medication administration, and asses...
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An exploratory interpretative study was carried out to recognize the factors regarded by health care professionals as potential obstacles to the evaluation, prevention, and documentation of falls in persons above 65 years of age. Focus groups and questionnaires were carried out. Audio recordings were made, and these were subsequently transcribed and analyzed in accordance with the Bardin's thematic content analysis. Four focus groups of four persons were set up, and 16 questionnaires were returned. Four thematic categories were obtained. The analysis showed a lack of data in records of falls, perhaps for reasons of overwork, lack of motivation, awareness, or consistency in the registration systems in use. Health care professionals document two types of fall, depending on the elderly person's ability to carry out everyday tasks. There is not a rigorous and systematic approach for recording falls. Perspectives from health care professionals could help
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International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020
Background: Clinical safety is a crucial component of healthcare quality, focused on identifying and avoiding the risks to which patients are exposed. Among the adverse events that occur in a hospital environment, falls have a large impact (1.9–10% of annual income in acute care hospitals); they can cause pain, damage, costs, and mistrust in the health system. Our objective was to assess the effect of an educational intervention aimed at hospital nurses (systematic assessment of the risk of falls) in reducing the incidence of falls. Methods: this was a quasi-experimental study based on a sample of 581 patients in a third level hospital (Comunitat Valenciana, Spain). An educational program was given to the intervention group (n = 303), and a control group was included for comparison (n = 278). In the intervention group, the nurses participated in a training activity on the systematized assessment of the risk of falls. Analysis was undertaken using the Bayesian logistic regression mod...
PLOS ONE
In hospitals, patient falls prevention education is frequently delivered by nurses and allied health professionals. Hospital falls rates remain high globally, despite the many systems and approaches that attempt to mitigate falling. The aim of this study was to investigate health professional views on the enablers and barriers to providing patient falls education in hospitals. Four focus groups with 23 nursing and allied health professionals were conducted at 3 hospitals. Three researchers independently coded the data and findings were analysed thematically with a descriptive qualitative approach to identify and develop themes according to barriers and enablers. Barriers included (i) limited interprofessional communication about patient falls; (ii) sub-optimal systems for falls education for patients and health professionals, and (iii) perceived patient-related barriers to falls education. Enablers to providing patient falls education included: (i) implementing strategies to increas...
Nurses' Knowledge and Practice for Reducing Falls among Older Adult Women 2
Nile journal for geriatric and gerontology, 2024
Background: Aging is a gradual process that causes organ system function to deteriorate and physiological reserve to dwindle. Damage theories describe cellular or molecular damage caused by environmental disturbances or metabolic by-products. The 'shortening of telomere hypothesis' is a pre-programmed ageing theory. This study outlines the Nurses' awarness and Practice for Reducing Falls among Older Adult Women at Beni-Suef University Hospital. Aim of Study: The aim of the study is to assess the nurse's knowledge and practice for reducing fall among old adult women at Beni-Suef University Hospital. Research design A descriptive exploratory design was used to conduct this study. Setting: The study was conducted at inpatient unit. Sample: A purposive sampling composed from 100 nurses (male and female) who were providing care for patients connected to direct patient care at Beni-Suef hospital. Tools: Four tools were used in this study and classified as the following: Personal characteristics of nurses such as age, gender, level of education, years of experience, and training, Knowledge assessment sheet, Nurses' practices checklist, using more tools based on this score will start fall prevention measures Results: The study found that almost half of 100 nurses range in age from 30 to 45, are females, have less than half a diploma in nursing, and have 5-10 years of experience. Nearly two thirds of nurses (62.0%) have good knowledge about fall prevention, while less than one fifth (17.0%) have poor level. Less than two thirds (61.0%) are Competent in fall prevention total practices, while almost two fifths (39.0%) are Incompetent. There is a significant correlation between total knowledge and age, Educational qualification, Years of experience and Training, as well as Age and Gender. Conclusion: The study found that nearly two thirds of nurses had good knowledge about fall prevention among elderly women during hospitalization, while more than one fifth had average level. Less than two thirds were Competent, but almost two fifths were Incompetent. Recommendation: Implementation of evidencebased fall prevention programs can improve gait and balance, reduce falls, and improve nurses' knowledge and practice. The maintenance and restoration of older women's function should be incorporated into the care processes developed by clinical leaders and nursing teams. Further study should be conducted to understand the combination of factors that produce successful unit-level fall prevention strategies.
Nurses’ Knowledge and Practice for Reducing Falls among Older Adult Women
NILES journal for Geriatric and Gerontology
Background: Aging is a gradual process that causes organ system function to deteriorate and physiological reserve to dwindle. Damage theories describe cellular or molecular damage caused by environmental disturbances or metabolic by-products. The 'shortening of telomere hypothesis' is a pre-programmed ageing theory. This study outlines the Nurses' awarness and Practice for Reducing Falls among Older Adult Women at Beni-Suef University Hospital. Aim of Study: The aim of the study is to assess the nurse's knowledge and practice for reducing fall among old adult women at Beni-Suef University Hospital. Research design A descriptive exploratory design was used to conduct this study. Setting: The study was conducted at inpatient unit. Sample: A purposive sampling composed from 100 nurses (male and female) who were providing care for patients connected to direct patient care at Beni-Suef hospital. Tools: Four tools were used in this study and classified as the following: Personal characteristics of nurses such as age, gender, level of education, years of experience, and training, Knowledge assessment sheet, Nurses' practices checklist, using more tools based on this score will start fall prevention measures Results: The study found that almost half of 100 nurses range in age from 30 to 45, are females, have less than half a diploma in nursing, and have 5-10 years of experience. Nearly two thirds of nurses (62.0%) have good knowledge about fall prevention, while less than one fifth (17.0%) have poor level. Less than two thirds (61.0%) are Competent in fall prevention total practices, while almost two fifths (39.0%) are Incompetent. There is a significant correlation between total knowledge and age, Educational qualification, Years of experience and Training, as well as Age and Gender. Conclusion: The study found that nearly two thirds of nurses had good knowledge about fall prevention among elderly women during hospitalization, while more than one fifth had average level. Less than two thirds were Competent, but almost two fifths were Incompetent. Recommendation: Implementation of evidencebased fall prevention programs can improve gait and balance, reduce falls, and improve nurses' knowledge and practice. The maintenance and restoration of older women's function should be incorporated into the care processes developed by clinical leaders and nursing teams. Further study should be conducted to understand the combination of factors that produce successful unit-level fall prevention strategies.
Age and Ageing, 2002
Objective: to evaluate a nurse-led management plan and care pathway for older people discharged from an Accident and Emergency Department after a fall. Design: randomized controlled trial. Setting: a large teaching hospital. Subjects: 348 consecutive patients aged 65 or over attending the Accident and Emergency Department with a fall. Interventions: we randomized patients to falls nurse intervention or usual care. Within 4 weeks, the intervention group received a home assessment to address easily modifiable risk factors for falls. This included assessments of medication, ECG, blood pressure, cognition, visual acuity, hearing, vestibular dysfunction, balance, mobility, feet and footwear. All patients were given advice and education about general safety in the home. Main outcome measures: Further falls, functional ability, re-attendance at the Accident and Emergency Department and admission to hospital. Results: at 6 months post-Index fall, 36 patients in the intervention group and 39 patients in the control group had had 89 and 145 falls respectively. Although the intervention group had less falls, this was not significant (P)0.05). Similarly, the intervention group had fewer fall-related admissions and bed days (8 and 69 respectively) than the control group (10 and 233 respectively). The intervention group scored significantly higher in indicators of function (P-0.05) and mobility within the community (P-0.02). Conclusions: although the differences were not significant, patients in the intervention group had fewer falls, less hospital attendances and spent less time in hospital. Moreover, patients in the intervention group were more functionally independent at 6 months post-Index fall.