Person-centered falls prevention and management in neurological post-operative patients: a best practice...

Accidental falls among inpatients are a significant cause of hospital-acquired injury. Appropriate evidence-based strategies to prevent falls and standard operating procedures for fall prevention and management are vital to mitigate the risk of falls in hospitals.

The objective of this study was to improve fall prevention practices among health care practitioners and post-operative patients in a neurology ward through the implementation of evidence-based practices.

This project followed the seven-phase JBI Evidence Implementation Framework, which uses a pre- and post-test audit methodology. A baseline audit was conducted of fall management practices among 60 health care staff and 40 patients in a hospital in Taiwan. Using the baseline audit results, barriers to best practices were identified and improvement strategies were developed to address the barriers. A follow-up audit was conducted to measure improvements.

Post-implementation audit compliance rates improved from baseline. Specifically, the compliance rate for Criteria 1, 3, 5, and 10 increased to 100%. Compliance also increased for Criteria 2 (90%), 4 (93%), 6 (95%), 7 (95%), 8 (88%), 9 (88%), and 11 (97%).

This study used best practices to reduce the incidence of falls, which did not exceed 0.08%. Key factors contributing to the success of the project included a democratic approach to leadership, multidisciplinary interventions, the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle, and on-the-job training for nurses.

http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A409.