Fall Prevention in Medical Facilities - Coursework Example

Fall prevention Fall prevention in medical facilities Introduction Falls are often recorded in hospitals, and it is a critical issue that requires to get addressed. The major cause of the fall could be an unfamiliar environment, major illness, treatments and the placement of the various objects in the hospitals. The result of falling is devastation to the patient, doctors and also family members of the patient. There are various risks associated to falling such as a downward spiral of limited mobility; therefore; there is a need to prevent the falls. Various steps can be undertaken towards the prevention of falls in hospitals. Research that has been conducted indicates that fall prevention can have short and long term effects (Gregory, 2013). Discussion Among the methods that have been applied to prevent falls in hospitals is the education on the patients and also family members. Patients together with their families are educated on the causes of falls and the available interventions. The expectation of the family that their relative will not fall again after treatment should get managed with care. The program used in the pedagogical efficacy was used to investigate the results of the education program in the intervention process. The education process in the hospitals was found to have successfully worked in a hospital setup. The number of patients who experienced falls was found to have drastically reduced (Healey & Darowski, 2012). The use of education in the prevention process has made efforts to promote positivity in self-identity of the patient. It has also made efforts to urge the patient to adopt the post-discharge falls strategies due to the benefits they possess. The nurse can make the use written of video materials to educate the patients and should have the design principles of adult learning. The nurse should also have discussions with the patient and make the recommendations on the presented materials. After the discussion, there should also be follow up on the patient. After a period of two weeks, the nurse should check the patient to see the progress and also reinforce the education (Jeske et al., 2006) Another method that was used in the control of falls is orienting the patients to the facility. Before the patients get admitted in their respective rooms, the nurse showed them around. The location of the bathroom was made known to the patient. The nurse call system is also made known to the patient. The nurse call system should be at a place where the patient can easily access the machine together with other important items. Patients at high risk of experiencing falls should be made to understand the reason that may cause them to fall. Other details that are made available to the patients are their reasons to fall. The reasons could be the dizziness that results from the medication (Poloni et al., 2012) Upon admitting patients, they should be taught on how to walk around safely and also how to get out and into the bed. On the case that the methods fail, patient should be taught how to fall safely. Patients should get advised to walk near the wall and lean on it when they feel like falling. The education system in the facility should inform the patient on the measures to take on the occasion that they fall. The patient should get advised to wait for assistance instead of forcing oneself to get up. Instruction on the methods of using the canes, walkers and the wheelchair should also get availed to the patient. Once the patients are introduced to the environment they feel more comfortable and, therefore, reduce the chances of falling (Swann, 2013). The main messages that should be availed to the patient in the education program are to seek assistance in the activities that require effort. They are also advised to resume functional activities gradually; patients should also participate in exercise activities. The progression of the education and content was based on the model health belief. The participants got informed on the risks involved in the falls. After the education program, there was a decline in the number of falls recorded in the medical facilities. After the discharge, the number of patients whom experience fall is also reduced. The fall prevention strategy that patients are advised to take after discharging from the hospital also reduced falls at homes (Wu et al, 2012). The program also established that there are barriers in undertaking the strategies of educating the patients. Patients believe that, when they are assured that they will no longer fall when they undertake the strategy they will be more than willing to undertake the strategy. Nursing assistance is also required as it is assumed that patients fall in the absence of nurses. Therefore, regular rounds are made by the nurses to assist patients in their activities. The fall reduction program should be accessed, and the benefits established. The highest degree of functionality should be maintained in the program. Therefore, good results of the program should get recorded (Gregory, 2013). On the case that education program fails to get adopted in the medical facilities. Patients are not aware of the possible reasons that can cause a fall. Thus, they will not observe the safety precaution and will be subjects of falling. The patients should also be made conversant with the hospital. The cost incurred on the occasion of the fall is massive and cost the government much money. It also causes stress upon the patient together with his or her family. The staff in the medical facilities is, therefore, advised to encourage their patients on the importance of education on falling and also to make them comfortable in the hospital environment (Healey & Darowski, 2012). Conclusion The setting in the health care system makes the possibility of the patient to fall higher. Patients in the long term care setting are also subjects of falling. The possibility of falling however gets reduced as the home of the patient. It is, therefore, important to devise means in which to regulate the cases of falling. The relatives of the patient should also be advised as they support the patient. The various benefits achieved from educating patients and making them conversant with the environment should be encouraged. References Gregory, K. L. (2013). Preventing Falls of the Elderly Patient. AARC Times 37(10), 16-21. Healey, F., & Darowski, A. (2012). Older patients and falls in hospital. Clinical Risk, 18(5), 170-176. Jeske, L., Kolmer, V., Muth, M., Cerns, S., Moldenhaur, S., & Hook, M. (2006). Partnering with patients and families in designing visual cues to prevent falls in hospitalized elders. Journal Of Nursing Care Quality 21(3), 236-241. Poloni, L., Ghisla, M., Loda, C., Baroni, F., Firetto, S., Agostini, C., & Facchi, E. (2012). How to intervene to prevent and reduce the risk of falls in geriatric patients admitted to a rehabilitation unit. Giornale Di Gerontologia 60(2), 82-87 Swann, J. I. (2013). How to prevent and manage falls in the care home. Nursing & Residential Care, 15(7), 488. Wu, L., Li, Y., Hu, X., & Liao, Z. (2012). Prevention of falls of hospitalized elderly patients using clinical pathway. Medical Science Edition 43(2), 222-225. Read More