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Research Article: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Nurses toward Risk Factors and Prevention of Falls in Older Adult Patients in a Large-Sized Tertiary Care Setting

Date Published: 2024-02-14

Abstract:
The objective was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nurses toward the prevention of falls in older hospitalized patients. A cross-sectional study employing a 54-item questionnaire was conducted on 370 nurses at a tertiary care referral center. The mean age of the study population was 36.3 ± 7.7 years, with the majority being females (282; 76.8%). Most of them had attended fall prevention training (335; 90.5%). More than 98% knew fall prevention policies and safety goals, according to their response to a fall and risk assessment, but were less aware of the risk factors of falls, such as recurrent falls (61%), depression (44%), and lower-extremity numbness (40.5%). Similarly, 99% had positive attitudes toward risk assessment, fall prevention intervention, and response to a fall. Around 55% thought they were responsible for patients’ falls, and 96% felt the need to undergo more training on fall prevention. Furthermore, 92% strictly followed fall prevention policies and 85.4% followed the color-coding system for high-risk patients. Despite the preventive measures in place, 33% encountered patient falls, and 82.2% experienced unwitnessed patient fall incidents in their units. Although the nurses had higher levels of knowledge about the policies, they lacked information on the risk factors. There is a significant scope that warrants great attention concerning the adherence to guidelines and the provision of fall prevention training programs, with a focus on the intrinsic causative factors of falls.

Introduction:
A fall is defined as, “an event which results in a person coming to rest inadvertently on the ground or floor or other lower level”. Falls commonly occur in older adult populations during hospitalization. Falls are mostly accidental and unintentionally caused by oneself or others, but at times can be anticipated, especially during moments of agitation. The consequences and impact of falls during hospitalization exert a significant burden on the lives of older adults, which in turn affects various aspects of their…

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