Date of Award
8-2018
Degree Name
Nursing (M.S.N.)
Department
College of Nursing
First Advisor
Marie Vanderkooi
Second Advisor
Barbara Hooper
Abstract
The patient population that is falls in the emergency department (ED) tends to differ from population that falls on inpatient units. However, there is no validated fall risk assessment for the ED setting. In an ED in a western Michigan hospital a fall reference card was designed and trialed by a small group of ED nurses on twenty-five ED patients. The fall reference card was created as a quick-reference guide for the assessment of fall risk, and the implementation of evidence-based fall risk interventions. The card utilized interventions supported by literature as the most common reasons for ED falls. The fall reference card trial demonstrated a 100% increase in fall risk assessment and documentation in the ED of the western Michigan hospital. The nature of this project was to determine if the implementation of a fall risk assessment in the ED setting followed by implementation of fall risk interventions would reduce falls and falls with injury in the ED microsystem, as compared to the current practice of not assessing for fall risk. A larger scale trial would be ideal to determine if the fall reference card was successful in improving awareness of a patients fall risk and reducing ED falls.
ScholarWorks Citation
Schmidt, Nichole L., "Implementing Evidence-Based Fall Reduction Interventions in an Urban Emergency Department" (2018). Master's Projects. 15.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/kcon_projects/15
