Falls have become common at homes, and this has impacted the health of many people. The high rates of falls in residential places have resulted in high morbidity, increased dependency, and high mortality rate, among others. When a person falls, they may become disabled for the rest of their lives, especially when it affects the spinal cord (Vandenberg, van Beijnum, Overdevest, Capezuti & Johnson, 2017). The application of the ADPIE will aid in assessing the causes of falls, diagnose the symptoms of the people who fall, and plan for the measures to take to ensure that falls do not become the main cause of disabilities. The nurses will also have an opportunity to implement the right control measures and evaluate their effectiveness in preventing the impact of falls.
Problem Identification and Rationale
In healthcare, falls have become a major problem affecting a large percentage of the elderly. Different types of falls have different impacts. When some falls affect the backbone, others may affect the brain leading to mental problems. Falling may result in fracturing different parts of the body, and some severe ones lead to death (World Health Organization, 2008). Admitting a large number of patients has affected most hospitals since such patients require special handling. Some of the people after falling have become dependent and nurses and doctors have to ensure that they provide them with quality care. The reason behind choosing this problem is because there is a need to create awareness in society on the effects of falls. Some people may choose house designs that meet their requirements and may fail to realize some dangers associated with certain parts of it that may lead to breaking people’s legs, arms and backs if they accidentally fall. Many will opt for designs that are attractive and do not understand that potential falls may have long-term effects. Through statistics, it is stated that 30% of the people aged 65 and above fall in their homes annually. This has become a major cause of an increased number of elderly patients who need other people to take care of them.
Severity of the Issue and Proposed Solution
Elderly people have high rates of falling if the residential areas have some structures which make it hard for them to walk around. For example, staircases might become a challenge to the elderly, and once they try to use them, they may fall and break their backs, legs, or arms. Some breakages are severe, and they may impact a person’s health for a long period (Vandenberg et al., 2017). Based on the Kotter 8 step change theory, it will become possible to deal with the problem. The change theory provides eight steps that people should apply to make necessary adjustments that will eventually reduce cases of falls. Creating urgency, involving the stakeholders, creating and communicating vision as well as removing obstacles form part of the change theory (Uymaz & Nahcivan, 2016). The use of the theory has been successful in the past and should also make it possible to reduce cases of falls—the change theory advocates for the creation of short-term wins and building the change while institutionalizing it. Adopting the theory will make it possible to have the desired outcomes.
Ebp Standard and Leadership Style
The effectiveness of the proposed solution will depend on the outcomes achieved. For example, the effects of implementing the solution in dealing with the problem at hand will determine its reliability. The number of cases reported will either show a reduction or an increase in the number of falls, thus determining the success of the solution. The application of the change theory will have a positive impact in reducing cases of falls which contribute to a health challenge (Uymaz & Nahcivan, 2016). The application of the inclusive leadership style will make it possible to have the healthcare system adopting the EBP solution. In this case, all stakeholders will realize that they have a role to play in ensuring that there is a reduction in the cases of falls presented every year. They will, therefore, make the right decisions that will assist the patients and create awareness among other people in the society. The inclusive leadership style will make every member of the healthcare team feel free to hold the top position of making the right decisions which will positively impact patients.
References
Uymaz, P. E., & Nahcivan, N. O. (2016). Evaluation of a nurse-led fall prevention education program in Turkish nursing home residents. Educational Gerontology, 42(5), 299-309.
Vandenberg, A. E., van Beijnum, B. J., Overdevest, V. G., Capezuti, E., & Johnson, T. M. (2017). US and Dutch nurse experiences with fall prevention technology within nursing home environment and workflow: A qualitative study. Geriatric Nursing, 38(4), 276-282.
World Health Organization. (2008). WHO global report on falls prevention in older age. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.