Research Paper on Patient Falls With Injury

The research paper will discuss the patient falls' nature, highlight the causes and preventive measures that should be used to minimize patients’ falls. Further, it identifies patients at high risk of falls and provides an analysis of patients' impacts. The paper's objective is to provide an analysis of patient fall studies, including one undertaken by the Joint Commission.

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Wang, Xue & Ezeana (2019) describe a patient fall as an unfortunate incident that occurs when the patient unintentionally comes in contact with the ground. A critique of the research carried out is that the study indicates that it is hard to predict falls' severity or occurrence. This has been identified as a challenge but can be addressed by assessing patients and providing infrastructure, among other preventive measures.

Various aspects that contribute to patient falls include the patient's age, health condition, medication types, and patient's mental status (Nilsson, 2016). Health facilities have continued to put infrastructure and preventive measures to minimize patient’s falls.

Falls can be put into various categories, accidental, intentional, anticipated and anticipated physiological ( Butcher, 2013). Anticipated physiological is most commonly compared to the other falls. It's easily identified well in advance as it is mostly experienced by a patient with the following factors, high-risk treatment, abnormal git and dementia.

A study carried out by The Joint Commission (2015) specifies that in the United States, the stated circumstances of patient falls ranging from 4.8 to 21.7 falls per 1500 patient times, with approximately 31–50% falls resulting in injury. Patient falls impacts include severe injury, death, and a rise in medical cost. Patients injured resulting from falls needs further action and lengthy sanatorium stays. The cost implication for a patient fall with a wound has been projected to be $15,000.

Falls resulting in injury per 1,500 patients per day was collected and used as an indicator. Fall occurrences were recorded and used by staff to produce an occurrence. The data collected included patient demographics details such as sex, disease diagnosis, patient's age, race, bone density measures, and procedural information. The data has been tested for six months and used to determine measures that can be used to reduce patient falls (Gygax, 2017).

From the study, various practices though not evidence-based, are found to reduce falls. These practices include educating patients and staff about the occurrence of patients' falls and how to handle injuries from falls. All patients should undergo screening for a fall before admission. Hospitals should also customize intermediations that should be applied to all patients at great risk of falls.

In conclusion, patient fall prevention proves to be very complicated but measures employed are bearing fruits as incidences of falls have significantly reduced. From this reduction, money has been saved. Hospitals should endorse patient-safety education among its staff members to avoid patient falls and this will help them to save on their operational and minimize falls throughout the year.

References

Butcher, L. (2013). The no-fall zone. Hospitals & health networks, 87(6), 26-30.

Gygax Spicer, J. (2017). The Got-A-Minute Campaign to Reduce Patient Falls with Injury in an Acute Care Setting. MedSurg Nursing, 26(5).

Nilsson, M. et al. (2016).Fall risk assessment predicts fall-related injury, hip fracture, and head injury in older adults. J. Am. Geriatrics Soc. 64, 2242–2250

The Joint Commission. (2015). Sentinel Event Alert 55: Preventing falls and fall-related injuries in health care facilities. Retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/ sea_issue_55