Risk assessment and fall prevention: practice development in action.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• Nurses provide extensive patient supervision, making them crucial for preventing adverse events.
• Patient falls are the most frequently reported adverse event in Australian acute hospital settings.
• Rising fall rates in a tertiary hospital necessitated an action research project.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance nurses' ownership of fall prevention practices.
• To develop and pilot a fall risk assessment chart as part of an action research project.

Main Methods:

• Action research methodology was employed.
• A pilot project focused on developing a fall risk assessment chart.
• The project was conducted in acute medical wards of a tertiary hospital.

Main Results:

• The study focused on the development phase of the fall risk assessment chart.
• Findings relate to the initial cycle of the action research project.

Conclusions:

• Development of a fall risk assessment tool is a step towards improving fall prevention.
• Empowering nurses through tool development can enhance practice ownership.