Source: Applied Nursing Research, article in press, August 2010
Follow this link for the abstract
Date of publication: August 2010
Publication type: Journal article
In a nutshell: This study investigated inpatient falls on psychiatric and medical wards in a U.S. community hospital before, during and after changes were made to the hospital’s Fall Assessment and Prevention Policy. The study results showed an increase in the number of medical patient falls despite revisions to the fall policy and a reduction in psychiatric inpatient falls. Most medical falls involved geriatric patients whereas psychiatric patients who fell were mostly female and under the age of 65. Non-compliance will falls prevention procedures relating to the use of non-skid gripper socks, bed exit alarms and the routine review of patient medication profiles were contributing factors to medical patient falls. As a result of the study which included a survey of nursing staff, the hospital has expanded its falls prevention education programme and uses Patient Safety Attendants to monitor patients at high risk of falling. Patient rounding by nurses and nursing assistants has also been introduced to help further reduce falls.
Length of publication: 7 pages
Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.
Posted by East Cheshire NHS Library 
