Date of Conferral
1-7-2025
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Cassandra Taylor
Abstract
Falls in residents at long-term care facilities result in increased hospitalizations and healthcare-associated costs, as well as increased morbidity and mortality, which can significantly decrease quality of life. To help prevent falls for long-term care residents, nurses must be knowledgeable regarding fall risk precautions and fall safety as these are the first-line defenses in fall prevention. This doctoral staff education project focused on improving fall-risk reduction and prevention education in nurses of a 125-bed long-term care facility and aimed to answer the practice-focused question: Does implementation of a standardized education program related to fall-risk reduction in the elderly increase nurse’s knowledge of effective fall prevention strategies? The ADDIE model (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) was utilized in the development of this staff education program to identify the learning need and establish goals to ensure training was effective. Twenty-five nurses employed at the long-term care facility were invited to participate in the educational program, which included a pretest, fall education program, and posttest. Ultimately 3 registered nurses (RNs) and 14 licensed practitioner nurses (LPNs) participated in the education. Pre- and posttests were scored manually, and the data were entered into statistical software for analysis. A two-tailed paired samples t test was utilized to analyze the quantitative data obtained from the pre- and posttests. Results showed a significant improvement in scores, t (16) = -5.74, p < .001), between pre- and posttests after the implementation of the educational program, indicating that the implementation of a staff education program can improve fall prevention knowledge in nurses. A fall education program promotes positive social change by improving safety within the facility, ultimately improving the quality of life for residents of long-term care.
Recommended Citation
Salmonsen, Molly, "Staff Education to Improve Knowledge Regarding Fall Prevention in Long-Term Care" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 16906.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/16906
