Title : Improving fall risk assessment to reduce falls in assisted living communities
Abstract:
Falls in older adults are a safety issue in all healthcare settings, one measure of care quality, and the primary cause of unintended death among New Mexican adults aged 65 and older. Falls and fall-related interventions have been extensively investigated in acute and post-acute care settings. However, limited evidence exists regarding the priority placed on falls and fall reduction practices in assisted living communities.
An estimated 3 million older adults are treated annually for fall-related injuries in U.S. emergency departments, and more than 800,000 are hospitalized, leading to increased healthcare costs, emergency room and hospital overcrowding, decreased quality of life, and premature death. Fall injuries not only lead to substantial morbidity and mortality, an estimated $50 billion spent annually in falls adults 65 years and older. With fall injury and related healthcare use expected to increase, understanding the priority placed on falls and current fall reduction practices in assisted living communities will be essential for guiding future fall risk assessment and reduction practices in the aging assisted living population.
Nurses play a critical role in fall risk assessment by reviewing falls and medications with older adults, planning care, and offering multiple fall assessment approaches to reduce fall risk. A prospective, quasi-experimental, repeated measures study was used to determine if using the Morse Fall Scale, Medication Risk Score, and individualized fall reduction strategies reduced falls in adults aged 65 and older in a New Mexico assisted living community. The Agency for Healthcare Quality Fall Knowledge Test compared staff's pre- and post-intervention fall knowledge scores. The study demonstrated modest improvements in fall risk, medication-risk scores, and staff fall knowledge but no reduction in falls per 1000 bed days. Continued use of fall interventions in this study may reduce falls and fall-related injuries, decrease emergency department and hospital overcrowding, and reduce costs associated with fall-related injuries. Reducing falls will improve morbidity and mortality rates, elevate the safety and quality of life for adults 65 and older, and preserve the dignity of our aging population.
Audience Take Away Notes:
- Understand the financial implications of falls in the U.S.,
- Use the information presented to assess what priority their organizations place on falls,
- Identify what fall risk assessment and reduction practices their organizations use,
- Determine what modifications might be required to reduce falls in the organization’s setting, and
- Apply the information presented to develop effective fall risk assessment and reduction interventions in their practice settings.
