Nursing care for the prevention of falls in the elderly: an integrative review

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the literature evidence on nursing care for preventing falls among the elderly. Method:Integrative review of studies published between 2005 and 2015 available in the LILACS, PubMed and CINAHL databases. The search was carried out in English, Portuguese and Spanish and combined the following descriptors: elderly, accidents from falls and nursing care .Results: Ten studies were selected. The thematic analysis resulted in three categories: health education as strategy for preventing falls in the elderly, identification of risk factors for the occurrence of falls in the elderly as preventive strategy and use of care technologies for preventing falls in the elderly. Conclusion:More participation of nursing in the production of research directed to this theme is suggested, particularly the development of intervention studies that may reveal the care to be provided in the different care scenarios for the health of the elderly.

Turkish adaptation of the Fall Prevention Knowledge Test

“…Various factors contribute to these risks, such as weakness, balance problems, age, cognitive problems, visual impairments, medications, acute diseases, and other environmental hazards 12 . One of the patient safety objectives published by the International Joint Commission is to prevent patient falls 13 . Ensuring that all hospital staff have sufficient knowledge about preventing falls is the first step to be taken regarding fall prevention 14 .…”

“…If falls occur, measures should be in place to protect patients from injuries and minimize negative outcomes. Falls can lead to injuries, disabilities, and functional impairments in individuals; therefore, they prolong hospital stays, necessitate long-term care, reduce quality of life, increase treatment costs, induce anxiety and fear in patients and their families, and, in severe cases, result in fatalities 13,15 . Hence, due to the complications it causes and the healthcare costs associated with it, falls are considered a significant societal issue 13,16 .…”

“…Ensuring patient safety in clinical settings is one of the fundamental responsibilities of nurses. Nurses, who are directly responsible for patient care, can prevent patient falls by implementing appropriate nursing interventions aiming to prevent those falls 13,20,21 . In the literature, a meta-analysis study examining interventions to reduce falls in hospitals revealed a positive effect of education on hospital fall rates and risk 22 .…”

“…In hospitals, patient fall rates are essential indicators of the quality of nursing care 23 . The responsibilities of nurses, who play an important role in preventing falls, cover many factors such as assessing the risk of falls, making environmental adjustments, and providing education to both the individuals at risk and those responsible for their care 13,25,26 . It can be seen in the literature that there are many nursing interventions aiming to prevent falls 7,18,27,28 .…”

Guidelines for Fall Prevention among Elderly People and Their Informal Caregivers

“…The main goals of fall prevention guidelines focus on identifying elderly risk factors for falling and assessing the elderly to determine if the elderly is more vulnerable to fall risk and implementing interventions to reduce these risk factors (Gale et al, 2016). The key points of modifiable risk factors for falls include factors affecting difficulty with walking and balance, muscle weakness, hazards in the home environment (i.e., clutter, inappropriate handrails, insufficient lighting), visual problems, medication taken, and orthostatic hypotension (Guilherme et al, 2017).…”