Brief Statement of Nursing Care Issue
Current shortage of nursing practitioners (NP) results in the deteriorating quality of healthcare. Over the recent years, the hospitalized individuals become subject to medical discrepancies and failure to deliver timely assistance more frequently than ever before (Glette, Aase, & Wiig, 2017). To address the aforementioned issue, this assignment will focus on the issue of fall prevention in elderly patients. By delivering quality improvement (QI) measures, elderly adults are more likely to receive better healthcare, improving their overall quality of life.
Intervention to Improve Quality of This Nursing Care Issue
To improve the quality of fall prevention as a nursing care issue, NP should engage in a multitude of practices that go beyond the standardized, evidence-based guidelines. According to Qin and Baccaglini (2016), some of the strategies to improve the overall quality of care for elderly adults include the provision of clutches, the introduction of the patient monitoring systems, exercises, and additional bed alarms. The significant roles should also be put on the education of healthcare professionals. Previously, advanced training was held in the form of one-on-one meetings, group sessions, written manuals, online apps, and telephone instructions. With the development of technologies, the process of nursing intervention can be more modernized, depending on the setting and age of the patients. While geriatrics aged 65 to 80 may need partial assistance, individuals older than 80 require persistent monitoring.
Article Summary
The article “Effects of falls prevention interventions on falls outcomes for hospitalised adults” aims at evaluating the effectiveness of a multitude of fall prevention strategies introduced by nurses. In the research, Slade, Carey, Hill, and Morris (2017) outlined the major outcomes of falls in hospital, including but not limited to, readmissions, a longer length of stay, and failure to meet treatment objectives. To prevent the aforementioned negative effects of the issue, several nursing interventions can be applied. The key solution, in this case, lies in the improved understanding of the root reasons for hospital falls. The study assesses the efficiency of exercises, functional assistance, health professional education, and withdrawing medications in a variety of settings, such as rehabilitation, emergency departments, acute, and subacute wards. The data collected were analyzed with descriptive statistics and meta-analysis. Instead of delivering the interventions separately, multifactorial combinations should be utilized for a better result. Together with fall prevention strategies, NP should pay attention to the patient self-management initiatives, environmental modifications, and evidence-based guidelines.
Control and Evaluation
To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed nursing interventions, a number of control strategies can be used. According to Anderson, Seff, Batra, Bhatt, and Palmer (2016), the aforementioned nursing interventions fall into the category of a Matter of Balance (MOB). MOB is a program created specifically to decrease the fear of falling among geriatric patients by increasing their activity levels. Therefore, the MOB scale can be utilized when assessing the efficiency of exercising as a potential solution. The education process should be controlled by supervisors, both objectively and subjectively. The objective evaluation may include tests and surveys, while the subjective part of the control should focus on group discussions and individual assessment of the learned material with the mentor. The results of the monitoring programs are subject to statistical analysis with the usage of modern technologies.
References
Anderson, C., Seff, L. R., Batra, A., Bhatt, C., & Palmer, R. C. (2016). Recruiting and engaging older men in evidence-based health promotion programs: Perspectives on barriers and strategies. Journal of Aging Research, 2016, 1-8. Web.
Glette, M. K., Aase, K., & Wiig, S. (2017). The relationship between understaffing of nurses and patient safety in hospitals— A literature review with thematic analysis. Open Journal of Nursing, 7, 1387-1429. Web.
Slade, S. C., Carey, D. L., Hill, A, & Morris, M. E. (2017). Effects of falls prevention interventions on falls outcomes for hospitalised adults: Protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis. BMJ Open, 7, 1-5. Web.
Qin, Z., & Baccaglini, L. (2016). Distribution, determinants, and prevention of falls among the elderly in the 2011–2012 California health interview survey. Public Health Reports, 131(2), 331-339. Web.