Searching for Evidence to Improve Nursing Outcomes

On my unit and in my organization, patient falls are a common and unfortunate nursing practice problem.  In the hospital setting, 9%-15% of falls result in injury and even death and are considered one the costliest preventable health conditions.  One fall with injury can total additional hospital costs of 17,500 dollars and an additional six day stay (Votruba et al., 2016).  The reality is however, that most falls are preventable.  As one of our nursing corporate objectives this year we have committed to reducing falls with injury.  For this week’s assignment, I have chosen fall intervention to improve patient outcomes. 

            First, I developed a PICO question.  In the adult inpatient unit what is the effectiveness of hourly rounding verses and individualized fall assessment to decrease falls with injury?

P – Adult inpatient unit

                        I – Purposeful hourly rounding

                        C – Individualized fall assessment

                        O – Decrease falls with injury

            Utilizing this search criteria in the CINAHL database, I found a peer reviewed article from 2019. Individualized Fall Prevention Program in an Acute Care Setting: An Evidence-Based Practice Improvement was authored by several advanced degree nurses from Northern Westchester Hospital, Mount Kisco, New York.  As per the title, you can see that the targeted audience was those practitioners who are experiencing falls in an acute care setting.  There are 12 references associated with this particular article and although some appear to be outside the 5-year window for relevant scholarly resources, fall interventions have remained fairly consistent over the years.  They appear reputable and when you review the link associated with each of the references, they are also noted to have been peer reviewed.

            This study showed a significant fall reduction impact by implementation of a multidisciplinary approach along with a video monitoring component.  As a member of the charter falls committee in my organization, I will definitely be presenting this to the group at our next meeting.

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