Degree Name

Nursing Practice, DNP

Publication Date

8-1-2024

Upload Date

2024

First Advisor

Sandy King

Second Advisor

Beverly Clark

Abstract

Falls among elderly individuals in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) pose a widespread and significant healthcare challenge, often resulting in severe injuries, reduced quality of life, and increased healthcare expenses. Despite the current efforts to prevent falls, they still occur frequently, underscoring the importance of effective interventions for prevention. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project focuses on quality improvement (QI) in healthcare. It aims to reduce fall rates among older adults in SNF by providing staff education and implementing scheduled hourly rounding. This approach aligns with existing research, emphasizing the importance of proactive patient monitoring and improved staff knowledge in preventing falls. The major findings from this project indicated significant progress in staff knowledge and a noticeable decrease in fall occurrences. An assessment of staff knowledge on fall prevention revealed a 40% knowledge boost, with pre-test scores averaging 49.9% and post-test scores averaging 69.5%. The data was analyzed and compared using a paired t-test to assess the effectiveness of education. Moreover, data on fall rates gathered over three weeks displayed a 42.9% decline in fall incidents. These findings imply that staff education and structured hourly rounding effectively heighten staff awareness and proactive care, resulting in safety. Nonetheless, the limited sample size and short monitoring period suggest the necessity for investigation to validate the long-term effectiveness and broader relevance of these strategies.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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