Bio 400
Problem statement
Patient safety is an important aspect of delivering care. People come to the hospital to get healed, not to get hurt. How can nurses make patients safe during their hospital stay?
In adults 65+ inpatients (P), how do Fall assessment tools (I) compared to
patients who do not benefit from fall assessment (C) influence fall prevention (O) within one week of hospitalization(T)?
It is estimated that between 700,000 - 1,000,000 people fall in U.S each year. Approximately eleven thousand falls thousand falls are fatal.2-6 Injuries related to falls can result in an additional 6.3 hospital days with the cost for a serious fall with injury averaging $14,056 per patient (Joint Commission 2016).
Problem Statement
The problem of falls directly affects patients, their relatives, and the organization at large
.The most affected patients are usually the elderly or children. Falls can lead to severe
injuries like fractures, laceration, internal bleeding, or even death.
A detailed fall assessment is important in determining patient at risk for fall, and preventive measures should take place to prevent fall from happening.
Organization of the poster
This poster will serve as “high fall risk” alert tool that will
contain fun facts about commonly used of cardiac medications such as Lasix and blood medications that are given to cardiac patients. Reminding nurses to check patient B/p before given these medications
Assessment tools using the morse fall assessment scale
Interventions for patients identify as high fall
Handout to educate patients and family about fall prevention measures
objectives
All nurses at CVICMU will attend a mandatory education on fall prevention every one week for a month. After completing the one-week training, nurses will be assigned to an online pretest and posttest to check their fall prevention knowledge. Nurses will have the ability to:
- To identify the critical risk factors using the Morse fall Assessment Scale
- List at least three to four interventions based on the Standard Universal fall intervention
- Describe strategies and behaviors to prevent falls
Methodology
1.) After completing the mandatory training on fall prevention, each nurse at the CVIMCU will be expected to pass the posttest with at least 80% of a passing rate for the first time. Each nurse would also be required to demonstrate patient falls assessment and verbally a minimum of three interventions to put in place to prevent falls when the patient is identified as a high risk for falls.
2.) Nurses who failed the posttest for the first time will be required to attend the next class section, and the posttest will take place the same day. In the second test, nurses should score 90 % and are required to list interventions based on patient risk factors
3.) Any nurse who failed the post-test the second time will attend not only the class section with a score of 100% but will be required on volunteering hours to teach other nurses about fall assessment and prevention
Interventions
First, patients will be given and wearing yellow socks; a yellow blanket will be placed on the patient's bed and a yellow armband on the patient's wrist. Patients who score a low number will be given a pair of green socks only. The yellow socks and bracelets are strategy to alert others that the patient is at fall risk
The second intervention is to set the patient's bed alarm on and advocate for a sitter/monitor device such as an avasure to keep the patient safe and prevent injury. Also, the patient can be placed close to the nursing station for close monitoring. This method makes others alert when patients try to exist the bed without calling for help.
The third intervention is bedside reports where patients' needs are met and education on using the call light. And finally, increased frequency of rounding for patients identified as a high fall risk. This is to anticipate patients' needs.
Evaluation
Successful completion of the falls educational program for all CVIMCU nurses over one week period will be the goal of this project. After educating nurses about fall assessment and prevention, their knowledge will be validated by pretest and posttest with a score of 80% at least, daily audits by the CVIMCU charge nurse will be completed on staff conducting care on admission and throughout patients' hospital stay. This will ensure continued compliance and understanding of the fall prevention educational program's teaching. And the manage will to be given a copy of the daily audit on assessment and prevention.
Conclusion
In conclusion, patients who come to the hospital to seek care not get hurt. My goal for this project is to prevent patients in the geriatrics population by utilizing a poster sign on the communication board and the Morse Fall Assessment Scale, interventions for fall prevention, handout. When patients, other healthcare teams, and families are knowledgeable and informed about falls, they are likely to participate in fall prevention measures. Education handouts from the CDC website will be provided to patients and caregivers. Every twenty minutes, an older adult dies from a fall in the United States (CDC). Patients also will be assessed on their knowledge of fall prevention precautions using the teach-back method.
References
Health Research & Educational Trust; October 2016. Preventing Patient Falls: A Systematic Approach From the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare Project.October 26, 2016
https://psnet.ahrq.gov/issue/preventing-patient-falls-systematic-approach-joint-commission-center-transforming-healthcare Chicago, IL: Health Research & Educational Trust; October 2016.
The CDC Patient & Caregiver Resources
https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/pdf/STEADI-CaregiverBrochure.pdf