Speaker
Description
Introduction: Falls and resulting injuries are a worldwide public health issue, constituting one of the leading causes of death from unintentional injuries (1). Preventive care is crucial in addressing this issue in the hospital setting (2,3). Our centre had no previous experience with implementing fall prevention measures, so we decided to start implementing the Best Practice Guideline on Preventing Falls and Reducing Injury from Falls (4th ed.).
Aim: After the initial months of implementation, we aim to evaluate the impact on care processes related to fall screening, assessment of at-risk patients, and preventive measures implemented in the 8 participating hospital units.
Methods: A pre-implementation evaluation was conducted in December 2022. The implementation activities began in September 2023, and data has been collected prospectively until March 2024.
Results: A sample of 804 patients was included, with 51.45% male. In the pre-intervention evaluation, fall risk screening was conducted for 49.18% of patients (n=30), with 63.33% identified as at risk. Of these, only 9 patients had a care plan in place. In subsequent evaluations, all variables improved progressively, with fall screening at 90.34%, assessment at 29.20% (n=69), and 55.7% of patients having a preventive care plan.
In conclusion, the implementation of interventions based on the guidelines led to increased adherence to key fall prevention care practices.
Keywords
Falls; patient safety; frailty
Author(s) Credentials and Title
Dr. Miguel Ángel Rodriguez Calero is a research nurse at the Quality Departmen of the Torrecárdenas University Hospital, Almería, Spain., current candidate for BPSO.
He has authored various publications on hospital care, patient safety and nursing care for patients with chronic conditions.
What RNAO BPG or tool/toolkit is this work related to:
Preventing Falls and Reducing Injury from Falls (4th ed.)
| Organization Name | Hospital Universitario Torrecárdenas, Almería, Spain |
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