Date of Conferral

7-24-2025

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Barbara Gross

Abstract

Falls among adults aged 65 and older represent a significant public health concern, as they are the leading cause of injury and hospitalization within this demographic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one in four older adults experiences a fall annually, leading to over 3 million emergency department visits. In home health settings, the risk of falls is heightened due to uncontrolled environments and insufficient staff training. This quality improvement project assessed the effectiveness of an educational intervention aimed at fall prevention strategies for home health staff, including registered nurses (RNs) and certified nursing assistants (CNAs). The agency's incident reporting system collected fall rate data for the two weeks preceding and following the intervention. Data analysis included a paired samples t-test to assess changes in knowledge and a chi-square test to evaluate differences in fall rates. Utilizing the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Falls Education PowerPoint, a one-hour training session was delivered to ten staff members. A knowledge assessment conducted before and two weeks after the session, using the AHRQ Falls Knowledge Test, demonstrated a significant increase in knowledge scores, from 60.5% to 84.5% (p < .001). However, the fall rate remained unchanged at 8.33%, likely due to the brief follow-up period. These findings suggest that enhancing staff knowledge alone is insufficient for reducing fall rates, underscoring the necessity for extended follow-ups, caregiver education, and ongoing safety strategies.

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