Date on Paper
7-2024
Document Type
Doctoral Paper
Degree Name
D.N.P.
Department
Nursing
Committee Chair
DeLetter, Mary
Committee Member
Albers, Courtney
Author's Keywords
Falls; fall risk; fall rates; interventions; education
Abstract
Background: Falls are the most commonly reported safety incidence in the hospital setting (Morris R. et al., 2017). Because falls may be a result of many factors, evidence shows that multicomponent fall interventions best reduce fall rates (Bargmann et al., 2020; Dykes et al., 2010; Dykes et al., 2020; Strini et al., 2021). In this project, a needs assessment identified a need for fall prevention strategies to reduce fall rates on inpatient units.
Setting: A step-down/telemetry Cardiovascular Intervention Unit (CVI) (15 beds) and Cardiovascular Unit (CVU) (12 beds) in a suburban private hospital.
Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based project was to evaluate the effectiveness of education on nurses’ implementation and documentation of falls prevention interventions on the CVI and CVU
Methods: This project consisted of an interrupted time series design. Fall rates, fall prevention and documentation rates were audited and compared before and after an educational read-and-sign discussing multicomponent changes (new falls risk assessment, new interventions, and focus on documentation).
Intervention: The intervention was an educational read-and-sign conducted with unit staff to review the current falls prevention interventions and documentation requirements. Data regarding the use of interventions and documentation were collected and analyzed.
Results: Post-intervention, four of eight variables demonstrated significant improvement including use of fall bracelet (p
Recommended Citation
Watchmaker Smith, Alyssa Nicole, "Focused interventions to decrease inpatient falls" (2024). Doctor of Nursing Practice Papers. Paper 165.
Retrieved from https://ir.library.louisville.edu/dnp/165
