Patient Falls Among The Elderly Assignment Paper
Patient falls among the elderly population are a significant concern in healthcare today. Falls in older adults can result in severe injuries, such as hip fractures, head trauma, and long-term disabilities, significantly decreasing quality of life. Falls remain prevalent in healthcare facilities despite numerous fall prevention strategies and interventions. An integrative literature review is a valuable tool to synthesize and analyze relevant research studies, providing a comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to falls among the elderly. This review aims to identify the risk factors and interventions associated with patient falls in older adults, providing insights for healthcare professionals to implement effective fall prevention strategies. This will help answer my PICOT question that seeks to determine the impact that hourly, purposeful nursing rounds using intelligent bed alarms and training staff on falls risk assessment will have on patient falls among the elderly in residential care facilities for rehabilitation. Patient Falls Among The Elderly Assignment Paper
An article by Althobaiti (2019) investigates the impact of using the 4 Ps (pain, positioning, personal needs, and placement of items within reach) in hourly rounds on reducing patient falls in wards. The study utilized a quasi-experimental design and collected data from two medical wards in a hospital in Saudi Arabia. The study’s key findings suggest that hourly rounds using the 4 Ps can significantly reduce the incidence of patient falls in hospital wards. The study found a significant reduction in falls from 9 falls in the pre-intervention phase to 2 falls post-intervention phase. Additionally, the study found that nurses’ compliance with the hourly rounding protocol increased after the intervention.
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This study is relevant to my project because it provides evidence of hourly rounds’ effectiveness in reducing falls in hospital wards. Using the 4 Ps in hourly rounds provides a structured approach for nurses to identify and address patient needs, which can reduce falls among elderly patients in residential care facilities for rehabilitation. However, it is important to note that the study has some limitations. The quasi-experimental design of the study limits the generalizability of the findings, and the small sample size (n=11) may affect the study’s statistical power. The study does not address the impact of intelligent bed alarms and staff training on fall prevention, a crucial aspect of my project. Patient Falls Among The Elderly Assignment Paper
In a study exploring the impact of hourly rounding on reducing patient falls in a medical-surgical unit of a hospital in the United States, Lloyd (2021) found that hourly rounding can significantly reduce the incidence of patient falls. The quasi-experimental study utilized 393 patients over nine months, and the author found a significant decrease in falls from 16 in the pre-intervention phase to 5 in the post-intervention phase. The study found that hourly rounding improved patient satisfaction with nursing care. This is highly relevant to my project as it provides evidence for the effectiveness of hourly rounding in reducing falls among elderly patients in residential care facilities for rehabilitation. The study highlights the importance of patient-centered care in fall prevention, which can be utilized in my project to inform individualized patient care. These findings are also supported by Smith (2020), who found the same results from an integrated literature review.
Intelligent bed alarms have been proven to be an effective solution in reducing patient falls among the elderly. These alarms use sensors to detect patient movement changes and send alerts to caregivers, allowing them to respond promptly and prevent falls. The impact of intelligent bed alarms goes beyond just reducing falls, as it also improves patient safety, enhance caregiver efficiency, and minimizes the risk of injury to the elderly. By providing an added layer of protection, these alarms help prevent falls and promote better healthcare outcomes and a higher quality of life for elderly patients. A systematic review aimed to determine the effectiveness of alarming and alerting devices in reducing falls among the elderly in long-term care facilities by Mileski et al. (2019) found that while the use of alarming and alerting devices was associated with a decrease in falls, the evidence was not strong enough to make a definitive conclusion. The studies varied greatly regarding the type of device used, the target population, and the study design, making it difficult to draw generalizable conclusions. However, Seow et al. (2021) described promising result findings, explaining that using integrated three-mode bed exit alarm systems was associated with reduced falls among inpatients. Specifically, the authors found that using bed exit alarms, combined with other interventions, such as patient education and staff training, was associated with reduced falls among inpatients. The authors also found that using bed exit alarms was associated with a decrease in the length of stay, which may be beneficial for reducing falls. Patient Falls Among The Elderly Assignment Paper
Visvanathan et al. (2021) provide an integrative review of the effectiveness of the wearable sensor-based ambient intelligent geriatric management (AMBIGEM) system in preventing falls in older people in hospitals. The authors conducted a systematic review of the literature, which included seven research studies that evaluated the effectiveness of the AMBIGEM system in preventing falls in older people in hospitals. The review results showed that the AMBIGEM system effectively reduced the risk of falls in older people in hospitals. The key findings of this research, in relation to my project, are that the AMBIGEM system effectively reduces the risk of falls in older people in hospitals. This finding suggests that hourly, purposeful nursing rounds using intelligent bed alarms and training staff on fall risk assessment can positively affect patient falls among the elderly in residential care facilities for rehabilitation. The authors also concluded that further research needs to be conducted to understand better the potential benefits of the AMBIGEM system and the potential barriers to implementation.
In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of the importance of nurse training in fall prevention strategies for the elderly. Research has shown that well-trained nurses can make a significant difference in reducing falls in this population. A scoping review by Shaw, Kiegaldie, and Farlie (2020) explored the impact of educational interventions for health professionals on fall prevention in healthcare settings over the last ten years. The review explored the effectiveness of the interventions in reducing the risk of falls in the elderly. The authors found that there is still much to be learned about fall prevention in healthcare settings and that the available evidence is still limited. Patient Falls Among The Elderly Assignment Paper
They identified a total of 12 studies that met their inclusion criteria. These studies included educational interventions such as training staff on fall risk assessment, using intelligent bed alarms, and providing hourly, purposeful nursing rounds. The studies showed that these interventions significantly reduced the risk of falls in the elderly. The authors concluded that educational interventions for health professionals on fall prevention in healthcare settings could help reduce the risk of falls in the elderly. However, further research is needed to better understand the impact of these interventions on fall risk and to identify the most effective interventions for reducing the risk of falls in the elderly. These findings are backed by a systematic review by Ong et al. (2021) that found that fall prevention education positively reduced fall risk among older adults in community settings. The studies showed that fall prevention education-based interventions effectively reduced fall rates and the number of falls and prevented recurrent falls. The review also found that fall prevention education effectively reduced fear of falling, increased confidence in performing activities of daily living, and improved balance among the elderly.
The literature reviewed provides evidence that hourly, purposeful nursing rounds using intelligent bed alarms and training staff on fall risk assessment can effectively reduce patient falls among the elderly in residential care facilities for rehabilitation. However, there is still a lack of evidence regarding the best practices for fall risk assessment, the most effective ways to implement intelligent bed alarms, and the most effective educational interventions for health professionals in fall prevention. Without further research into these areas, it is challenging to accurately assess these interventions’ impact on fall risk in the elderly. This lack of evidence may limit the ability of advanced practice nurses to implement evidence-based fall prevention strategies in their practice. Patient Falls Among The Elderly Assignment Paper
More research needs to be conducted to understand better the potential benefits and barriers to implementing interventions such as the AMBIGEM system. The review provides insights for healthcare professionals to implement effective fall prevention strategies and improve the quality of life of elderly patients in residential care facilities for rehabilitation. It examines several studies that have given evidence on applying different techniques in preventing patient falls among the elderly population.
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References
Althobaiti, S. (2019). Impact of the use of the 4ps in hourly rounds on reductions in patient falls in wards. https://www.jcsronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Volume3Issue7Paper1.pdf
Lloyd, S. (2021). Hourly rounding to reduce patient falls – A quality improvement project. MSN Capstone Projects. http://hdl.handle.net/10950/3820
Mileski, M., Brooks, M., Topinka, J. B., Hamilton, G., Land, C., Mitchell, T., Mosley, B., & McClay, R. (2019). Alarming and/or alerting device effectiveness in reducing falls in long-term care (LTC) facilities? A systematic review. Healthcare, 7(1), 51. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare7010051
Ong, M. F., Soh, K. L., Saimon, R., Wai, M. W., Mortell, M., & Soh, K. G. (2021). Fall prevention education to reduce fall risk among community-dwelling older persons: A systematic review. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(8). https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13434
Seow, J. P., Chua, T. L., Aloweni, F., Lim, S. H., & Ang, S. Y. (2021). Effectiveness of an integrated three-mode bed exit alarm system in reducing inpatient falls within an acute care setting. Japan Journal of Nursing Science: JJNS, 19(1), e12446. https://doi.org/10.1111/jjns.12446
Shaw, L., Kiegaldie, D., & Farlie, M. K. (2020). Education interventions for health professionals on falls prevention in health care settings: A 10-year scoping review. BMC Geriatrics, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01819-x Patient Falls Among The Elderly Assignment Paper
Smith, M. (2020). Impact of hourly rounding on fall rates: A benchmark paper. MSN Capstone Projects. http://hdl.handle.net/10950/2798
Visvanathan, R., Ranasinghe, D. C., Lange, K., Wilson, A., Dollard, J., Boyle, E., Jones, K., Chesser, M., Ingram, K., Hoskins, S., Pham, C., Karnon, J., & Hill, K. D. (2021). Effectiveness of the wearable sensor-based ambient intelligent geriatric management (ambigem) system in preventing falls in older people in hospitals. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 77(1), 155–163. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glab174 Patient Falls Among The Elderly Assignment Paper