Measuring Fall Program Outcomes

Abstract

Nurses help to ensure patient safety, which includes preventing falls and fall related injuries. The aging Veteran population, like the general population, is at risk for falls and fall related injuries whether at home, in hospitals or in long term care facilities. Nurses are leading practice innovations to systematically assess patients’ risk for falls and implement population based prevention interventions. To determine the effectiveness of programs, data can be analyzed using a variety of statistical measures to determine program impacts. Thus, data analysis of fall rates by type of fall and severity of fall related injury can help facilities examine the effectiveness of their interventions and program outcomes. Examples of actual fall prevention programs and their approaches to measurement are showcased in this article.

Risk Factors Associated With the Occurrence of Falls in the Life Context of the Elderly

“…In addition, Quigley et al, (2007) state that, considering health professionals regarding the theme of falls in the context of the elderly, nurses are leading practical innovations to systematically assess the risk of falls of patients and implement prevention interventions based on in the population.…”

“…According to Quigley et al, (2007), given these risk factors for falls in the elderly, it is necessary to consider some issues, such as: standardizing the definition of falls, selecting instruments for screening environmental risks, including those in the family environment , establish policies aimed at preventing these events from happening, redesign the system for notifying the incidence of falls, stratify the levels of identification of the risk of falls in the elderly and the communication system, as well as develop material on the prevention of falls for health education.…”

“…Finally, with regard to health programs and actions to prevent incidences or to analyze the event itself, the environmental facilities must be observed and related, in some way, to the types of injuries, such as lacerations, fractures and bleeding. , as well as the severity of injuries (QUIGLEY et al, 2007).…”

Tecnologías de monitorización para la prevención de accidentes por caídas en ancianos en un entorno hospitalario

“…A queda é uma das principais causas de eventos sentinela nos hospitais, que atingem pacientes e podem resultar em morte ou dano permanente ou temporário grave com intervenção necessária para sustentar a vida (Quigley et al,2007). Idosos acima de 65 anos, presença de doenças crônicas anemia, osteoporose, urgência miccional, demência, múltiplas prescrições de medicamentos e história prévia de queda (Ministério da Saúde, 2014), além do tempo de permanência no hospital são fatores que aumentam significativamente a ocorrência dessas quedas (The Joint Comission, 2022).…”