Date of Conferral
2018
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Health Services
Advisor
Janice Long
Abstract
Falls and falls with injury are a leading contributor to decreased quality of life for adults aged 65 and older. Complications associated with fall occurrences include death, long term disability, decreased mobility, decreased quality of life, and psychological effects.
The practice focused question addressed in the project asked if the use of a standardized publicly available assessment for falls risk will assist registered nurses in learning more about the patient's fall risk. To address the question, the Stay Independent Check Your Risk for Falling Questionnaire (SICRFQ), obtained from the CDC website, was used as the basis for an education program for nurses to evaluate patient risks for falls. The theory of planned behavior guided the project which resulted in nurses gaining increased knowledge of falls risk assessment using the SICRFQ instrument. Findings from this staff education project indicated that 85% (n=29) of from a general practice unit registered nurses participating in the project reported that the education and the SICRFQ instrument would assist them in engaging and educating patients and families on fall risk avoidance; and 97% (n=33) indicated they would use the instrument for assessing patients. Use of the SICRFQ instrument will assist registered nurses in improving patient safety through accurate assessment of falls risk and potentially decrease falls in their unit thus promoting positive social change.
Recommended Citation
Brennan, Deborah, "Patient Self-Assessment for Older Adult Fall Prevention" (2018). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 4997.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4997
