A fall prevention training to improve nurses' knowledge and behavior
Project Background
Falls were the second to third highest category of sentinel events reported to The Joint Commission in 2014-2016. Fall rate on a stroke unit at Midwestern hospital, in years 2014-2016, averaged 3.97 falls/1000 patient days, well above national benchmarks for similar units.
Project Purpose
The purpose of this project was to examine the effectiveness of a multi-faceted fall prevention intervention (e.g. eLearning module, in-situ simulation, and the introduction of falls champions) to improve nurses’ knowledge on fall prevention and nurses’ behavior around fall prevention strategies for adult hospitalized patients. Specific questions included: Does the multi-faceted intervention increase unit nurses’ fall prevention knowledge? Does the multi-faceted intervention improve unit nurses’ fall prevention behaviors?
Project Methods
This project, using a pretest/posttest design, included a multi-faceted intervention, including an eLearning module, simulation training, and implementation of fall champions.
Project Outcomes
There was a statistically significant knowledge gain after the eLearning module (p =0.004). There was significant improvement in three fall prevention behaviors: use of elevated toilet seat/bedside commode (p = 0.02), requesting a flex sitter (p = 0.009), and communication to the healthcare team (p = 0.04). Notably, the majority of the fall prevention activities were trending in the right direction post training.
Project Implications
This QI project findings have uncovered the value of concurrently employing more than one educational strategy as fall prevention intervention and an implementation strategy such as fall champions. The use of fall champions was a great benefit for keeping the talk of falls and preventing falls continual. In addition, the report showed the importance of staff engagement in fall prevention practices.
