Date of Conferral
2020
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Health Services
Advisor
Carmen McDonald
Abstract
Falls are a critical problem for inpatient medical-surgical adult patients. Past research has indicated a link between nurse disengagement and unsafe care. The purpose of this study was to improve the understanding of the relationship between nurse engagement and patient falls with injury on medical surgical units in health care facilities in the United States using the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators. Retrospective data were reviewed from 13 U.S. hospitals in the Midwest covering Q1 (2018) and Q2 (2018) on medical-surgical units related to nurse engagement and patient falls. A correlational and MANOVA design was used to determine the relationship between nurse job engagement and patient fall rate. The Nursing work-life model was developed with the purpose of addressing the nurses work environment, which affects engagement and patient outcomes. The research questions were designed to determine whether a statistically significant relationship existed between patient falls and nurse engagement factors. The analysis of this study showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between engagement factors relating to the registered nurse forcing themselves to come to work, administrators consulting them daily, and the ability of the registered nurse to adjust their practice and patient falls. However, the analysis suggested nursing hours per patient day was a significant predictor of unassisted fall rate, although the correlation with injury was not statistically significant. The findings may be used by nursing administrators to develop interventions to improve patient outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Zaliauskas, Jenna, "Registered Nurse Engagement and Patient Falls in the Acute Care Setting" (2020). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 9319.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/9319
