The implementation of an evidence-based practice falls prevention program in long-term care

Abstract

Falls in older people can cause poor quality of life and even death in residential care facilities which has raised the question if an evidence-based practice falls prevention program would have an impact on the incidence of falls and improvement in quality measures in 8 weeks using a self-efficacy scale. An 8-week pilot study was conducted on a long term care unit in a skilled/long term care facility to determine if the confidence and knowledge levels of nursing staff would improve after evidence-based practice fall prevention education. Data was collected using a self-efficacy scale adopted from the IOWA model. Mean confidence levels were determined pre and post survey based on the 17 item questionnaire of a participant sample of 4. Results suggested that there is a significant statistical correlation between the increase in confidence and knowledge of evidence-based fall prevention and the educational intervention, but no correlation to the decrease in fall rate due to changes in decisions of recommended fall prevention interventions. It is argued that the ability to utilize recommended interventions by nursing staff would have allowed for evidence-based practice interventions to be implemented and would have had an impact on the rate of falls. Key Practitioners Message Falls among older people can be life-threating encounters. Healthcare workers in skilled and long-term care facilities can reduce these life threating encounters by fall prevention programs that assist to improve the quality of care and quality of life of the older people they serve. This paper will identify the significance of evidence-based practice measures as it relates to falls prevention, describe the target population and proposal for a falls prevention program for a skilled/long-term care facility, theoretical framework associated with the basis of the falls prevention program, synthesis of literature, practice recommendations, project setting, the mission, vision, and objectives of the project, the project description, project evaluation and data analysis implications for nursing and healthcare, and plans for dissemination.