Falls in long-term care institutions for elderly people: protocol validation

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Falls are a significant risk in long-term care institutions for the elderly.
• Effective fall management protocols are crucial for resident safety and well-being.
• Existing protocols require validation to ensure content accuracy and effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the content of a comprehensive fall management risk protocol specifically designed for long-term care institutions housing elderly individuals.
• To ensure the protocol addresses key aspects of fall prevention and management within this vulnerable population.

Main Methods:

• A methodological, quanti-qualitative study employing the Delphi technique was conducted.
• A literature-based tool was electronically distributed to 14 selected experts for consensus-building.
• Two rounds of expert review were performed to achieve consensus exceeding 80% on all items.

Main Results:

• The validated fall management risk protocol comprises 27 indicators across three dimensions: preparation for institutionalization (IRA=.88), risk management during institutionalization (IRA=.9), and communication/training leadership (IRA=1).
• The overall content validity index (CVI) for the protocol was .91, indicating strong agreement among experts.
• Reliability testing yielded values greater than 0.8, confirming the protocol's suitability for its intended purpose.

Conclusions:

• The validated fall management risk protocol is reliable and suitable for implementation in long-term care settings.
• The protocol's content has been rigorously assessed and approved by experts.
• Future clinical validation with elderly residents in long-term care institutions is recommended to further assess its real-world effectiveness.