Physical Injury Caused by Accidental falls among Elderly Patients - Term Paper Example

Conceptual-Theoretical Paper - Assessing the Family Members’ Willingness to Protect Elderly Patients from Accidental Fall - Number Course Name and Number Name of Professor Date of Submission Introduction Physical injury caused by accidental falls among the elderly patients is common causes of mortality and morbidity. Since nurses are responsible in the provision of holistic caring to their patients, nurses should educate the patients’ family members about the main causes of accidental. The purpose of this report is to apply Fawcett’s conceptual-theoretical empirical structure in developing a conceptual theory model that will assess the patients’ family members in preventing and protecting elderly individuals from accidental fall. In line with this, Fawcett (2000, p. 16) explained that a conceptual framework can be used in allowing the readers have a better observation and understanding behind a phenomena being examined. Significance of Roy’s Adaptation Model in the Construction of Conceptual-Theoretical-Empirical Structure Fawcett & Gigliotti (2001) suggest that developing a conceptual model to research follows three important steps which include: (1) develop a deep understanding about the research topic; (2) review existing research studies and nursing practices that are based on conceptual models; and (3) develop and communicate a proposed conceptual-theoretical-empirical structure. Roy’s Adaptation Model (RAM) strictly requires the use of the basic nursing research and clinical nursing research (Fawcett, 2009). Based on RAM, Fawcett’s conceptual-theoretical-empirical structure first identify and examine how the environmental stimuli (i.e. focal, contextual, and residual) can be properly managed followed by examining the coping processes (i.e. regulator / cognator or stabilizer / innovator) and modes of adaptation (i.e. physiological, self-concept, etc.) (Fawcett, 2009; Fawcett, 2003). As explained by Fawcett (2009), RAM is significant in the practice of nursing in the sense that this particular model enables the nurses have better understanding on how the elderly patients’ family members could adapt with the situation. By modifying things that are modifiable within the environment, the nurses could educate the family members on how to protect their love ones from accidental falls. Environmental Stimuli Focal The family members of elderly patients who are prone to accidental falls are concerned with the fact that accidental falls causes physical injury that could lead to deaths and physical disabilities among the elderly patients who are more than 65 years of age (Lord, Sherrington, and Menz, 2001). In most cases, several studies revealed that accidental falls can lead to hip, neck and femur fractures which could make them unable to regain the level of their normal physical function (Abdelhafiz and Austin, 2003; Lord, Sherrington, and Menz, 2001). Other than the need to spend a lot of money on elderly patients’ health care assistance that could help them regain their normal functioning, Northridge et al. (1995) revealed that frailer old individuals are most likely to fall twice than the vigorous ones. The fact there are quite a lot of cases wherein the elderly patients who suffered from accidental fall may not be able to regain their normal physical functioning may cause the elderly patient experience self-pity. Contextual To minimize the risk of financial difficulty associated with accidental falls, nurses should educate the family members about causative factors (i.e. impaired vision, muscle weakness and lower limb dysfunction, drug administration and other diseases like stroke and Parkinson’s disease, poor lighting, unsafe stairways, irregular floor surface, etc.) that make elderly patients susceptible to accidental falls (Ghnaimat and Alshawbkeh, 2007; Lord, Sherrington, and Menz, 2001; McClure et al., 2000; Guralnik et al., 1995). This strategy could help family members cope and adapt with the given situation. Coping Processes Regulator When designing strategic ways that will enable the family members adapt with the elderly patients’ situation, nurses should carefully evaluate the family members’ financial resources before giving any suggestions on how they can improve the patients’ nutritional intake and required physical therapy which are necessary to hasten the patients’ ability to regain their physical mobility. Cognator To determine the ability of the family members to comprehend with the proposed health care intervention, nurses should determine who among the family members are the decision-maker, his/her educational attainment, and degree of willingness to participate in protecting the elderly patient from future accidental fall. Modes of Adaptation Physiologic Mode Physiological needs like food, shelter, and educational achievements are among the factors that will enable the nurses determine the family members’ ability to provide the elderly patients’ required physiological needs in order to cope with the health consequences of accidental falls. For this reason, nurses should assess this factor through observational assessment. Self-Concept Mode Nurses should also determine whether or not the decision-maker is self-directed in terms of assisting in the recovery plan for the elderly patient. In line with this, nurses could determine the family values of the patient with his/her family members just by observing their relationship towards one another. Role Function Mode Nurses should determine the role and function of each of the family members. Identifying who among the family members are supportive in the recovery stage of the elderly patient is a step towards dealing with the right person to communicate about the patient’s care and treatment. Fawcett’s Conceptual-Theoretical-Empirical Structure Based on Roy’s Adaptation Model (RAM), the proposed conceptual-theoretical-empirical structure for this study is presented on Appendix I on page 6. Using a quantitative and qualitative research survey questionnaire, nurses can somehow examine the environmental stimuli which includes the health and financial consequences associated with elderly patients’ accidental fall, the coping processes which examines the family members’ perception about the elderly patient’s accidental fall, and the modes of adaptation which will be gathered from the family members’ responses to this particular health care issue. Appendix I – Proposed Conceptual-Theoretical-Empirical Framework References Abdelhafiz, A., & Austin, C. (2003). Visual Factors Should Be Assessed in Older People Presenting with Falls or Hip Fracture. Age and Ageing , 32: 26-30. Fawcett, J. (2000). Analysis and evaluation of contemporary nursing knowledge: models and theories. Philadelphia: FA Davis. Fawcett, J. (2003). The Roy Adaptation Model. Japanese Journal of Nursing Research , 36(2): 67-73. Fawcett, J. (Sep./Dec. 2009). Using the Roy Adaptation Model to Guide Research and/or Practice: Construction of Conceptual-Theoretical-Empirical Systems of Knowledge. Aquichán , 9(3): 297-306. Fawcett, J., & Gigliotti, E. (2001). Using Conceptual Models of Nursing to Guide Nursing Research: The Case of the Neuman Systems Model. Nursing Science Quarterly , 14(4): 339-345. Ghnaimat, M., & Alshawbkeh, J. (2007). Causes of Falls in Hip Fractures in Elderly Patients. Middle East Journal of Age and Ageing , 4(2). Guralnik, J., & et al. (1995). Lower-Extremity Function in Persons Over the Age of 70 Years as Predictor of Subsequent Disability. New England Journal of Medicine , 332: 556-561. Lord, S., Sherrington, C., & Menz, H. (2001). Cambridge University Press. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from Falls in Older People: Risk Factors and Strategies for Prevention: http://assets.cambridge.org/97805215/89642/excerpt/9780521589642_excerpt.pdf McClure, M., et al. (2000). Macular Degeneration: Do Conventional Measurements of Impaired Visual Function Equate with Visual Disability? British Journal Ophthalmology , 84: 244-250. Northridge, M., et al. (1995). Home Hazards and Falls in the Elderly: the Role of Health and Functional Status. American Journal of Public Health , 85: 509-515. Read More