NURS FPX 9902 Assessment 2: Literature Synthesis on Fall Prevention Strategies in Emergency Departments
Literature Synthesis on Fall Prevention Strategies in Emergency Departments
The current structural model of healthcare delivery directs effort and attentiveness to patient protection and engagement, especially regarding exchange occurring among caregivers (Campani et al.,2021). However, issues like preventable falls have been recurrent in sensitive areas like the EDs because of the high pressure in these organizations. NURS FPX 9902 Assessment 2: Literature Synthesis on Fall Prevention Strategies in Emergency Departments This synthesis focuses on the use of intervention, where nursing-conducted bedside shift reports (BSR) enhance safety particularly concerning falls in EDs. This assessment compares the Bedside Shift Report (BSR) to prior methods in improving patient safety outcomes throughout a 12-week plan.
Search Strategy for Relevant Literature
To gather data, databases including CINAHL, Ovid, and ProQuest were reviewed, and words including “bedside shift report”, “fall prevention”, and “nursing handoff” were used. Applying Boolean operators together with methods of truncation resulted in the improvement of the search process, for which 127 articles were identified. Accordingly, by using filter criteria such as relevance, year of publication (2020-2024), and type of publications, 40 articles were chosen for further scrutiny. These studies span across all the areas of academic focus to the BSR such as the role of BSR in fall prevention, patient safety, and adjustment of communication. BSR implemented by nurses involves real-time, bedside reporting that enhances staff coordination and eliminates safety issues. An evaluation of one of the selected EDs identified 36 patients who had fallen during the period 2022-2023, highlighting the importance of effective fall interventions. For example, BSR implements the Falls TIPS card and provides a visual tool to prevent such risks. A safety improvement trend is evident in the findings and has noted better safety outcomes after the introduction of BSR. For instance, Heng et al., (2020). showed that the application of structured BSR protocols significantly decreased the incidences of falls, which are considered adverse events. Furthermore, there was an observed improvement in staff satisfaction as reorganized communication and cooperation improved teamwork and produced a safer and more unifying care setting.
Comprehensive Fall Prevention Strategies
Fall prevention involves population-level measures, individualized measures, and knowledge promotion among the staff. Researchers including (Albasha, et al.,2023), stress-reducing risks by employing precautionary features including slippery flooring and adequate lighting. Additionally, using sources such as the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) can help to identify appropriate interventions for high-risk sectors such as EDs.Common communication tools enhance an organization’s transmission regarding the risks of a patient to cut down on falls. They enable healthcare teams to be accountable and closely supervise other teams.
Impact on Patient Safety and Satisfaction
Standardized communication models such as ISBARR (Introduction, Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, and Readback) are beneficial for patient safety and improved patient satisfaction. Pun et al.,’s (2023) study on how ISBARR positively contributes to efficient communication points to fewer mistakes. Similarly, implementing bedside shift report protocols to enhance statuses increases patient satisfaction as it promotes self-organized patient participation in most care processes. Analysis of specific QI projects in EDs demonstrates the findings that proper HH communication not only enhances patient safety indicators but also increases patient satisfaction levels. These results also suggest that BSR serves a two-fold purpose of providing reassurance within healthcare facilities.
Promoting Healthcare Quality and Teamwork
Sustainable health improvement is anchored on evidence-based practices. Organizations such as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) support the accomplishment of data aiming at improving the quality of patient treatment. BSR is a good example of such an approach where the teams in the healthcare organizations have adopted standardization in communication. The literature review proves that a well-coordinated structural communication system is effective in collaborative work and effective shifting of responsibilities. For example, protocols designed by the National Institute for Patient Safety incorporate BSR practice into operations to provide transition information (Ibrahim et al., 2024). This approach reduces patient risks and enhances the care provided to the clients in the health care facilities. The falls tips (tailored interventions for patient safety) toolkit focuses on patients’ needs in delivering anti-fall interventions. Laminated cards affixed around the patients’ beds help to continually remind patients of their fall risks and the measures they should take to avoid mishaps. Cascini (2021) proposed the intervention to ensure patients participate in their safety processes hence preventing falls.
Integrating Evidence-Based Practices
The BSR implementation therefore requires education, training, and evaluation before it is put into practice. Guidelines such as the knowledge-to-action model are used in the implementation process of health screening. Therefore, by removing barriers and promoting accountability, healthcare teams can improve the introduction of effective interventions in the long term. Mixed-methods research enables a better understanding of the factors for and the obstacles to integrating such interventions. For example, qualitative interviews denote the impressions of the staff while the quantitative data provide an evaluation of the efficiency of the intervention and, in this way, encompass a broad scope of implementation processes. Underlining patient education is one of the key factors in falls prevention. Informing the patients specifically about the risks and the precautions required gives them an engagement role in their treatment. Learning activities such as role play and tool-based developmental care steps implement interaction preventative fall rates, particularly in the ED environments.
Conclusion
Literature integration highlights the role transformation through bedside shift reporting in lessening the rate of falls and patient safety. Whenever communication is clear, patients are involved and solutions are evidence-based, impressive reductions in falls for EDs can be achieved by the healthcare teams. The use of fall tip cards adds to these endeavors to make a safer and more productive care setting. The future specific initiatives on implementation should focus on the sustainability of these improvements through retraining and periodical assessment.
References
Albasha, N., McCullagh, R., & Cornally, N. (2023). Staff knowledge, attitudes, and confidence levels for fall prevention in older person long-term care facilities: A cross-sectional study. BMC Geriatrics, 23, 595. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04323-0
Campani, D., Caristia, S., Amariglio, A., Piscone, S., Ferrara, I., Barisone, M., Bortoluzzi, S., Faggiano, F., Dal, A., (2021). Home and environmental hazards modification for fall prevention among the elderly. Public Health Nursing, 38(3), 493–501. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.12852
Cascini, F., Santaroni, F., Lanzetti, R., Failla, G., Gentili, A., & Ricciardi, W. (2021). Developing a data-driven approach in order to improve the safety and quality of patient care. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 667819. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.667819
Heng, H., Jazayeri, D., & Shaw, L. (2020). Hospital falls prevention with patient education: A scoping review. BMC Geriatrics, 20, 140. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01515-w
