Patient bedside falls are a common problem. Patient bedside falls have been selected since they have adverse effects. For instance, patient falls have been associated with elongated hospitalization since patients who suffer falls may get more problems, which makes them stay longer in hospitals (Dykes & Hurley, 2021). Alternatively, patient falls can increase medication costs, increasing the burden passed on to patients and families. Moreover, patient falls are sometimes fatal since patients may end up having severe injuries that can result in death. Therefore, patient bedside falls are a concern, and there is a need to prevent the falls from promoting positive patient outcomes. Adopting evidence-based solutions can help to prevent falls and eliminate adverse outcomes. This report discusses two evidence-based approaches that can be adopted and their pros and cons.
Evidence-Based Approaches
Bed Modification Practices
Several bed management practices can be used to increase the safety of patients, which would help to prevent bedside falls. One such practice is maintaining patient beds in a locked and lowered apposition. In most cases, patient bedside falls are attributed to raised beds, which are shaky. However, falls could be reduced if the beds were lowered to a stable position where patients could move freely. Also, instead of the beds shaking, they should be locked. Locking the beds can help to decrease the chances of a fall. Another practice to modify the bed is having a bedside commode.
Several pros can be associated with this approach. A significant advantage of this approach is that it can be easily implemented (Heng et al., 2020). Most approaches meant to prevent falls are challenging to implement. However, this approach is simple to implement. For instance, it is easy to lower the bed to a position where patients feel comfortable and lock it. Besides, the approach is not costly since it does not require additional equipment or tools to make the solution workable.
The demerit of the approach is its tediousness. The management has to check whether the beds are constantly in a lowered position. If the management does not constantly check the bed positions, the approach may be ineffective since patients or other individuals may interfere with the beds’ positions, making them dangerous for patients. Hence, hospital managers must routinely check the beds’ positions for the solution to work.
Patient Education
Conducting patient education and sensitization concerning bedside falls is another evidence-based practice for minimizing these incidents. Patient education is essential since there can be a mismatch between the actual and perceived bedside falls in the hospital. The education aims to increase an individual’s awareness of their bedside fall risk and provide them with strategies to mitigate these incidences during hospitalization (Heng et al., 2020). Notably, there are different levels of evidence-based approaches to varying bedside fall prevention education methods, including videos, assistive devices, posters, brochures, and bedside fall risk communication alerts. However, they are all focused on educating patients on ways to mitigate bedside falls to avert related complications.
Patient education comprises several advantages for preventing bedside falls. Primarily, this approach is cheap and easy to create and implement. In most cases, hospitals utilize the available resources to propagate the patient education strategy (Heng et al., 2020). For instance, printing equipment is readily available in hospitals, which makes it easy and affordable for healthcare practitioners to create educational materials. Furthermore, healthcare providers only need to devise approaches to pass this information to the patients since they know bedside fall prevention; thus, they do not need to outsource expertise. Patient education strategy is also advantageous because it can target the most vulnerable population, enhancing its effectiveness and reducing bedside falls.
The patient education approach faces some challenges. Language barrier remains one of the primary challenges affecting this strategy (Dykes & Hurley, 2021). Since it is impossible to create educational materials in all languages, some patients will not understand the information being communicated. In addition, caregivers must ensure that they provide each patient, especially those at risk, with the information and ensure they understand, which can be time-consuming.
Solution Selection
The patient education strategy is the most preferred solution for bedside fall mitigation. This strategy is the most effective compared to the bed modification practice for several reasons. Unlike the bed modification strategy, which occurs without the patient’s knowledge, patient education is a targeted, engaging, and involving activity (Heng et al., 2020). Some patients are unaware that they are at risk of bedside falls, which only predisposes them further. However, when taken through bedside fall mitigation education, they become aware of the risk and the approaches they can employ to alleviate it. Patients can also ask for clarification in areas they have not understood during the education program. Active participation in learning helps enhance patient self-efficacy and knowledge of bedside fall prevention.
Many factors lead to bedside falls, most of which can quickly be addressed in patient education programs. Patient education practice is broad and continuous, enabling it to offer more critical patient information, making it more effective. According to Turner et al. (2022), effective patient education programs should use a combination of education modes, incorporate active learning designs, and consider environmental context and individual bedside fall risks. Additionally, patient education programs should adhere to established guidelines to guarantee transparency and enhance the mitigation of bedside falls. As such, well-designed and practical patient education strategies are the best poised to mitigate hospital bedside falls.
TeamSTEPPS
Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) is a tool for helping healthcare practitioners enhance patient quality and safety using effective teamwork and communication skills. TeamSTEPPS refers to an evidence-based framework and a training curriculum designed for successfully integrating communication and teamwork doctrines into any healthcare system (American Hospital Association, n.d.). The tool is anchored on decades of lessons and experience acquired from highly reliable organizations such as aviation and military operations.
The TeamSTEPPS approach helps address the bedside fall challenge. Having been derived from decades of experience and lessons from highly reliable organizations, TeamSTEPPS offers a broad range of effective patient education strategies that could be integrated to resolve the identified issue among all stakeholders. Primarily, it comprises a set of evidence-based tools and training curricula that can effectively integrate teamwork and communication principles into any healthcare system (American Hospital Association, n.d.). The preferred solution requires trained healthcare personnel to undertake the patient education program, and TeamSTEPPS can offer the necessary training. Additionally, it can provide the most appropriate teamwork and communication strategies to guarantee the program’s effectiveness.
References
American Hospital Association. (n.d.). Getting started with TeamSTEPPS: Team training: Center: AHA. https://www.aha.org/center/team-training/getting-started-teamstepps#:~:text=TeamSTEPPS%20is%20an%20evidence%2Dbased,operations%2C%20aviation%20and%20nuclear%20power.
Dykes, P. C., & Hurley, A. C. (2021). Patient-centered fall prevention. Nursing made Incredibly Easy, 19(4), 6-10. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NME.0000753072.65344.4d
Heng, H., Jazayeri, D., Shaw, L., Kiegaldie, D., Hill, A. M., & Morris, M. E. (2020). Hospital falls prevention with patient education: a scoping review. BMC geriatrics, 20, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01515-w
Turner, K., Staggs, V. S., Potter, C., Cramer, E., Shorr, R. I., & Mion, L. C. (2022). Fall prevention practices and implementation strategies: Examining consistency across hospital units. Journal of Patient Safety, 18(1), e236-e242. https://doi.org/10.1097%2FPTS.0000000000000758
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