Impact of a Decision Support System on Fall-Prevention Nursing Practices

The aim of this study was to develop a computerized decision support system (CDSS) that could automatically calculate the risk of falls using electronic medical record data and provide evidence-based fall-prevention recommendations based on risk factors. Furthermore, we analyzed the usability and effect of the system on fall-prevention nursing practices.

A computerized fall-prevention system was developed according to the system development life cycle, and implemented between March and August 2019 in a single medical unit with a high prevalence of falls. The usability was evaluated 1 month after CDSS implementation. In terms of time and frequency, changes in fall-prevention nursing practices were analyzed using survey data and nursing documentation, respectively. Finally, the incidence of falls before and after system implementation was compared to examine the clinical effectiveness of the CDSS.

According to the usability test, the average ease of learning score (5.083 of 7) was the highest among 4 dimensions. The time spent engaged in fall-prevention nursing care per patient per shift increased, particularly for nursing diagnoses and planning. Moreover, the mean frequency of daily documented fall-prevention interventions per patient also increased. Particularly, nursing statements related to nonspecific interventions such as environmental modifications increased. However, the incidence of falls did not decrease after implementation of the CDSS.

Although adoption of the computerized system increased the time spent and number of records created in terms of fall-prevention practices in nurses, no improvement in clinical outcomes was observed, particularly in terms of fall rate reduction.