Certified nursing aides' and care assistants' views on falls: insight for creation and implementation of fall...

This study examines the views of certified nursing aides (CNAs) and care assistants (CAs) regarding falls to inform fall prevention programs.

A qualitative study of 55 CNAs and 22 CAs, comprising 13 focus groups, was conducted with an extensive content analysis of open-ended, falls-related questions.

Functional status, followed by underlying illness, were the most common fall risk factors mentioned by both CNA and CA groups. All groups discussed reporting falls to a supervisor and examining the patient for injury. Thirty-one percent (4/13) of the groups noted reporting falls to a physician. Fifty-four percent (7/13) mentioned knowledge of documenting falls; no group participated in fall incident reviews. The most common response to a resident fall was to watch at-risk residents more closely if possible given staffing levels. No group felt that they needed more training on falls management and/or prevention. Three groups concluded that falls were not preventable.

These results suggest that frontline staff likely need education and have yet to be brought into the falls documentation and/or prevention process. Effective interventions need to include frontline staff, while recognizing the constraints of staff shortages and attitudes.