Fall and Injury Prevention - Essay Example

"Fall and Injury Prevention" is a delightful example of a paper on injuries and wounds.
In order to assess the risks associated with falling, several factors must be considered such as the age of the patient, sex or gender, care settings, presence of internal factors such as the use of medications, whether or not the patient is physically-challenged, whether or not the patient had a previous history of falling and sustaining any injury. After making risk assessments, prevention guidelines may be established, and the effectiveness of such measures may be reviewed.

A Fall and Injury Prevention Guideline

Screening of Patient’s Risk Susceptibility for Falling and Getting Injured

Patient is Pediatric

Presence of intrinsic risk factors

• The patient is under seizure medications
• The patient has an orthopedic diagnosis
• The patient is using/not using IV
• The patient is undergoing physical therapy

• Number of staff/attendants present
• Time of day
• The patient is physically challenged

Patient is Geriatric

Identification of patient’s care settings

• The patient is under community settings
• The patient is under acute care settings
• The patient is under long-term care settings

Presence of intrinsic risk factors

Patient is normal

• Gender/Sex
• Age

The patient has other problems/factors

• Cognitive function
• Physical function
• Physiologic functions
• Comorbidities
• Medication use

Presence of extrinsic risk factors

• Number of staff/attendants present
• Time of day
• The patient is physically challenged

Checking Patient’s Medical History for Previous Falls and Fall-related Injuries

The patient did not Sustain any Injuries

Patient Sustained Injuries

• The patient sustained minor injuries
• The patient sustained moderate injuries
• The patient sustained major injuries

Frequency of Falling

• For the past 6 months
• For the past year
• Any other period within the past 10 years

Presence or absence of bleeding

Assessment Procedures for Fall-Susceptible Patients in any Settings

Use of risk-assessment/screening tools

1. Mobility
2. Morale
3. Mental Status
4. Distance Vision
5. Hearing
6. Postural Blood Pressure
7. Back Examination
8. Medications
9. Ability to Perform Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s)

Perform reassessments at regular intervals

Fall and Injury-prevention Guidelines

Acute and Long-term Care Settings

Fall-prevention strategies

1. Education of staff about safety care
2. Training of staff and medical team (fall-risk and post-fall assessment)
3. Use of alarm devices and systems (for patients that get up)
4. Monitor medication side-effects and making adjustments
5. Redesign patient’s room to become safe for movements
6. Exercise interventions for patients
7. Toilet regimen for confused patients (e.g., check patients every 2 hours)
8. Monitor and treat calcium and vitamin D levels
9. Treat underlying disorders (syncope, diabetes, anemia, etc.)

Injury-prevention strategies

1. Limited use of restraints
2. Bedrails should be lowered
3. Monitoring of fall and injury rates
4. The use of hip protectors (for geriatrics under long-term care)
5. The use of floor mats to prevent slips
6. Monitoring of patients under anti-coagulants/have risks for blood clots
7. Always make a post-fall assessment
8. Use of bisphosphonates for osteoporosis-prone patients

Community Settings

Fall-prevention strategies

1. Leg-strengthening exercises
2. Balance training
3. Medication limitations
4. Modification of home
5. Use of thin-soled shoes
6. Education of patients and attendants (if any) to manage risky situations

Injury-prevention strategies

1. Provide nutritional and mineral supplements to prevent fractures
2. Screening for patients with bleeding disorders/under anticoagulants
3. Use of bisphosphonates for osteoporosis-prone patients

Assessment of Effectiveness of Fall-prevention Guidelines

Decrease/Increase in Reported Fall and Fall-related Injury

1. Comparison of the trial period and extended periods of strategy-implementation
2. Assessment of patient’s fear of falling (increase, decrease, same)

Re-evaluation of methods used

Assessment of effective/ineffective measures

1. Impact of education on staff and medical teams
2. Impact of alarms, environmental adjustments
3. The usefulness of exercise methods for strength and balance
4. Effects of vitamin D, calcium, and biphosphonate effects
5. Check for other disorders that may cause falls (e.g., stroke)

Implementation of additional strategies

1. Retain effective methods
2. Implement newer methods for assessment