Effectiveness of Educational Interventions for Fall Prevention: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: to assess the effectiveness of educational interventions for fall prevention implemented in hospitals, at homes and nursing homes. Method: this is a systematic review, carried out based on the guiding question: what is the effectiveness of isolated educational interventions for preventing falls in adults and the elderly developed in experimental studies? The search took place in the electronic databases: Scopus, PubMed/PMC, Web of Science, CINAHL, SciELO, Cochrane and EMBASE. The exposure factor was the educational intervention on preventing falls, and as outcomes: reducing fall rates, improving knowledge, awareness and adherence to preventive care for adult and elderly patients. Only randomized controlled trials, in all languages and published between 2011 and 2020 were included. Results: 1,474 articles were identified, of which 16 were included. Four studies did not show effectiveness related to fall prevention. As common characteristics, these studies were carried out with elderly patients and without one-to-one follow-up. The others were effective in reducing falls and/or improving knowledge and were mostly studies with personalized interventions, carried out by nurses and mediated by educational technologies. Conclusion: educational interventions are effective for preventing falls in the home, hospital and nursing homes. Studies have shown a reduction in fall rates, improved knowledge and engagement in prevention strategies.

Mais letramento em saúde, mais segurança do paciente: um estudo de caso sobre campanhas de segurança do paciente num centro hospitalar português

“…No entanto, a evidência científica demonstra que as intervenções educativas são eficazes para a prevenção de quedas em ambiente domiciliar, hospitalar e instituições de longa permanência para idosos, resultando em redução das taxas de queda, melhoria do conhecimento e engajamento dos pacientes em estratégias de prevenção (29). Assim, a área da prevenção das quedas na comunidade e no hospital tornou-se o tema escolhido para a primeira campanha, designada por Stop Quedas.…”

Efficacy of educational strategies in patient involvement for safety in care: a systematic review

“…The international literature on educational strategies for patient involvement in safe care practices stands out (11,32,33,36) when compared to national literature (37) . It is noticed that patient participation initiatives in their safety are still recent in Brazil (38,39) , which may contribute to the scarcity of studies.…”

Eficácia de estratégias educativas no envolvimento do paciente para a segurança no cuidado: revisão sistemática

“…A literatura internacional sobre as estratégias educativas no envolvimento do paciente em práticas seguras do cuidado se destaca (11,32,33,36) quando comparada à nacionais (37) . Percebe-se que as inciativas de participação do paciente na sua segurança ainda são recentes no Brasil (38,39) , o que pode contribuir com a escassez de estudos.…”