Falls are a significant global health concern, representing the most common unintentional injury among older adults. They are a leading cause of disability, prolonged hospitalization, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and hip fractures, significantly impacting the quality of life for the elderly. Recognizing the pivotal role nurses play in mitigating these risks through education, risk evaluation, and environmental modifications, a crucial study has been conducted to assess their understanding of fall prevention strategies. This study is considered “extremely important” as it can assist hospital administrators in developing new policies and strategic plans to raise the standard of care and lower the rate of fall prevention among senior women.
This research article, titled “Study on Nurses’ Knowledge about Fall Prevention among Elderly Women,” was authored by Hanan Elzeblawy Hassan, Salwa Ahmed Mohammed, Amal Abelazyeem Mohammed, and Sania Said Ghanem. Published in J Ortho Sci Res, this article presents valuable insights into the preparedness of healthcare professionals in combating falls among the elderly. The study employed a descriptive design and was conducted at the Outpatient Clinics of Beni-Suef University Hospital. A cross-sectional sample of one hundred nurses providing direct patient care was included in the study. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire, which assessed both the personal characteristics of the nurses and their knowledge regarding fall prevention.
Key findings from the study reveal a strong foundation of knowledge among the surveyed nurses:
- Awareness of Risk Assessment Tools: More than half of the studied nurses (59.1%) reported knowing the Morse tool, an approved fall risk assessment tool. Another 40.9% knew the Humpty Dumpty tool.
- Identification of At-Risk Populations: A large majority (86.6%) of nurses identified individuals with weakness of the lower extremities as being most at risk of falling. Other risk factors identified included age 60 or older (70.7%), impaired walking or balance (84.1%), dizziness (63.4%), and use of more than four prescribed medications (50%).
- Medication Awareness: A high percentage (89.0%) of nurses mentioned that Antihypertensive medications are associated with falls and their harmful effects.
- Understanding Contributing Factors: Almost three-quarters (73.6%) of the studied nurses identified loss of balance as the main factor contributing to falls among the elderly. Other factors noted included impaired vision or hearing (66.7%) and physiological factors (60.9%).
- Complications of Falls: More than three-quarters (79.2%) of the nurses knew that a broken bone is the main complication resulting from falls for the elderly.
- Safety Practices and Nursing Care: Most nurses (88.8%) reported providing adequate lighting for safe walking as a safety precaution and basic nursing practice for fall prevention among old women. They also reported knowing safety precautions (89.0%) and standard fall prevention interventions (84.0%).
- Patient Education and Instructions: The majority of nurses (92.5%) stated that the main information/instruction to give patients to avoid falls is to teach seniors and their family ways to prevent accidental falls at home prior to hospital discharge, such as correcting common household hazards and encouraging family steps to ensure resident safety.
- Standard Interventions: Most nurses (83.3%) reported informing “at risk” patients during the shift/transfer report as a standard fall prevention intervention.
- High-Risk Interventions: A significant 90.9% of nurses knew that ensuring the night light is on is needed to prevent high-risk falls.
These findings underscore the critical role of nurses in fall prevention and offer valuable data for hospital administrators to develop new policies and strategic plans aimed at enhancing care standards and reducing fall rates among senior women. The authors recommend further studies to identify and understand the combination of factors that produce successful unit-level fall prevention strategies and suggest replicating this study with a larger sample of nurses and in different settings to generalize the findings.
Reference: Hassan, H. E., Mohammed, S. A., Mohammed, A. A., & Ghanem, S. S. (2024). Study on Nurses’ Knowledge about Fall Prevention among Elderly Women. J Ortho Sci Res, 5(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.46889/JOSR.2023.
