PICOT Question
In elderly patients (P) who are at risk for falls (I), what is the effect of implementing a multifactorial fall prevention program (I) compared to the current standard of care (C) in reducing the incidence of falls (O) over a period of 6 months (T)?
PICOT Problem
Falls in the elderly population is a significant clinical problem, as they are a leading cause of injury and hospitalization. The risk factors for falls in the elderly include age-related changes in vision, muscle strength, and balance, as well as the use of multiple medications. The current standard of care for fall prevention in the elderly often focuses on individual risk factors, such as medication management or physical therapy (Vakili et al., 2019). However, a more comprehensive approach, such as a multifactorial fall prevention program, may be more effective in reducing the frequency of falls.
Nursing Intervention
The nursing intervention proposed in this PICOT question is the implementation of a multifactorial fall prevention program. This program will include a comprehensive assessment of all the patient’s risk factors, as well as the development of an individual treatment plan to eliminate these risk factors (Chuangchai & Siripakarn, 2019). The program would also include education for the patient and their family on fall prevention strategies, such as exercise and home security modifications (Sangeetha, 2020). This intervention would be compared to the current standard of care, which often focuses on individual risk factors and does not include a comprehensive approach to fall prevention.
Timeframe
The timeframe for implementing this change would be six months. This would allow for the development and implementation of the multifactorial fall prevention program, as well as time for the program to have an effect on the incidence of falls in the patient population.
Clinical Problem and Patient Outcome
The clinical problem addressed in this PICOT question is the high incidence of falls in the elderly population. Falls can lead to serious injuries, such as fractures and head injuries, as well as hospitalization and decreased quality of life. Multifactorial fall prevention program can reduce the incidence of falls in the elderly population, resulting in a positive patient outcome of improved safety and quality of life.
The proposed nursing intervention addresses the issue of falls in the elderly population by taking a holistic approach to fall prevention. The multifactorial fall prevention program includes an assessment of the patient’s risk factors, such as vision and muscle strength, as well as an individual treatment plan to eliminate these risk factors (Vakili et al., 2019). The program also includes teaching the patient and his family fall prevention strategies, such as exercise and home safety changes. (Sangeetha, 2020). By taking a comprehensive approach to fall prevention, this intervention aims to address all potential contributing factors to falls in the elderly population.
The comparison of this nursing intervention to the current standard of care is crucial as it allows for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the multifactorial fall prevention program. The current standard of care often focuses on individual risk factors, such as medication or physical therapy, but should include a comprehensive approach to fall prevention (Chuangchai & Siripakarn, 2019). By comparing the incidence of falls in a patient population receiving the proposed nursing intervention to a patient population receiving the current standard of care, the effectiveness of the proposed nursing intervention can be evaluated.
In summary, the proposed nursing intervention addresses the clinical problem of falls in the elderly population by taking a comprehensive approach to fall prevention. Implementing a multifactorial fall prevention program can help reduce the frequency of falls, which leads to a positive outcome for patients in the form of increased safety and quality of life. The proposed intervention will be compared to the current standard of care and evaluated over a period of 6 months.
References
Chuangchai, W., & Siripakarn, Y. (2019). Executive Function Training in Connection with Falls on Elderly Thais. Journal of Population Ageing, 12(2), 137–149. Web.
Sangeetha, D. P. (2020). Fall Detection for Elderly People Using Video-based Analysis. Journal of Advanced Research in Dynamical and Control Systems, 12(SP7), 232–239. Web.
Vakili, V., Taghipour, A., Mosa Farkhani, E., Bahrami, H. R., Beygi, B., & Pirizadeh, E. (2019). Risk Factors for Falls among Elderly People: a Population-based Case-Control Study. Elderly Health Journal. Web.