Abstract
Objective: To explore the difference of fall prevention knowledge level of nurses working on special care units and general care units in acute hospitals. Methods: Nurses in special care units and general care units from two acute care hospitals were investigated about fall prevention through a cross-sectional survey. The collected data was analyzed by using Lasso Regression Model. Results: Total of 1442 valid questionnaires were conducted including 1028 questionnaires in general care units and 414 questionnaires in special care units respectively. Through analysis by Lasso Regression Model, seven of 17 fall prevention knowledge items were statistically different in nurses working on general care units and special care units, including the definition of a fall (P=0.0001), fall prevention assessment tool currently used (p=0.0053), assessment of patient's balance and activity (p=0.0020), diseases that easily cause patients to fall (p=0.0021), assessment of patient's foot problems (p=0.0068), assessments of the patient's clothing and footwear suitability (p=0.0011), reporting process of falls (p<0.0001). Conclusion: This study showed that nurses in special care units have higher level theoretical knowledge of fall prevention than nurses in general care units, while having lower level practical knowledge of fall prevention. It suggested that Quality & Patient Safety Department in medical institution should make new plans to prevent patients from falling and ensure patient safety.
Highlights
Fall is a serious international public health issue affecting individuals at any age, which is the second leading cause of accidental or unintentional injury deaths worldwide [1]
According to general care units and special care units’ nurses working condition, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression analysis was carried out on the level of nurses' fall prevention knowledge in order to investigate the items of fall prevention knowledge relating to the influence of nurses' care units
We found that the proportion of nurses with bachelor's degree or above in special care units was about 4% higher than that in general care units, which suggested that the Department of Quality and Patient Safety in medical institution should strengthen the training of nurses about the theoretical knowledge relating to fall prevention in general care units
Summary
Fall is a serious international public health issue affecting individuals at any age, which is the second leading cause of accidental or unintentional injury deaths worldwide [1]. In China, with the rapid aging of the population, fall have become the leading cause of injury for the aged over 65 [2]. Fall prevention in clinical practice is a complex undertaking that requires the collaboration of multiple disciplines which includes nursing, physicians, environmental services, information technology, patient advocacy, pharmacy, physical and occupational therapy. Nurses are in the frontline and are mainly responsible for the assessment of the risk of falls as well as health education of the patients [5]. It requires nurses to be equipped with knowledge and skills of fall prevention to
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