Introduction
Modern nursing practice requires new approaches and the use of modern technologies. Special attention is paid not only to the immediate treatment of patients but also to improving their level of medical education. Multifactorial fall prevention programs aimed at treating elderly patients who are at risk for falls may be an effective alternative to existing standards of care.
The Intervention that will be The Focus of the Change Proposal
A multifactorial fall prevention program was chosen as an intervention to be described. One should highlight the advantages of this intervention, such as increased awareness and education of fall risk factors for the patient and their family and real-time monitoring for identifying potential fall hazards. Moreover, an evidence-based approach to fall prevention is another important feature of this intervention which allows nurses to gather important information and apply it in practice (Wallis et al., 2022). According to Taylor (2021), “the final component of fall risk prevention is to design and implement the intervention that is based on the results of the assessment” (p. 261). Therefore, this program is a focus of the change proposal compared with current standards of care for elderly patients who are at risk for falls.
The Setting in which The Intervention can be Observed
The setting for observing a multifactorial fall prevention program including family and patient education plus video monitoring could be a hospital, rehabilitation center, long-term care facility, or home healthcare setting. For example, as Chun (2019) states, “studies of fall prevention strategies in hospitals and long-term care facilities show inconclusive evidence of the effectiveness of most fall prevention interventions” (p. 330). In addition, the evaluation of the results of the multifactorial fall prevention program led to the conclusion regarding the reduction in fall rates (Chun, 2019). Therefore, it is essential to emphasize that by application of this program in the abovementioned conditions, it is possible to highlight its advantages over other standards of care.
A Description of Intervention
As the primary goal of the multifactorial fall prevention program, one should stress the reduction of the number of falls and the severity of fall-related injuries among the elderly population. The program takes a comprehensive approach to fall prevention, addressing multiple risk factors (Patrick, 2021). Among important approaches according to this program are patient and family education, environmental modifications, video monitoring, and exercise and physical therapy. Particular interest in considering this intervention in comparison to the current standard of care is in the use of technological progress. For example, video monitoring provides real-time monitoring and early detection of potential falls (Staffileno et al., 2021). This method allows nurses to gather the necessary information for other activities, such as modification of the environment to remove potential hazards and improve safety (Leland et al., 2022). Therefore, an integrated approach to assessing the patient’s medical history, physical abilities, home environment, and medication makes this program versatile in reducing the incidence of falls.
Effect of The Intervention
The main effect of the multifactorial fall prevention program is a reduced number of falls. By addressing multiple risk factors, this program can effectively reduce the number of falls in the elderly population. Among other effects, one should stress such as improved quality of life, increased independence, decreased healthcare costs, and better patient outcomes (Castle, 2019). Consequently, multifactorial fall prevention program has many benefits for the elderly population, improving their quality of life, and physical and emotional well-being, and reducing their risk of falls and fall-related injuries.
Significance of The Topic and its Implications for Nursing Practice
The chosen topic regarding the program on reducing the incidence of falls of elderly patients is significant for nursing practice in identifying the benefits and features of modern healthcare methods. Approaches such as video monitoring to evaluate patients’ health can be studied and applied to other fields of medicine (Lee & Yu, 2020). The topic explores the benefits of the multifactorial fall prevention program concerning a specific time frame, in particular six months, which will allow concluding the program’s short- and long-term effectiveness.
A Proposed Solution to the Identified Project Topic and its Affectation on Nursing Practice
As the primary solution of the identified project topic, it will be essential to use the abovementioned circumstances and settings to highlight all aspects of the efficiency and benefits of the program compared to the current standard of care. In addition, the involvement of nurses with different practical experiences in the evaluation will help to identify the challenges and gaps in the program (Chun, 2019). It will affect nursing practice through new possibilities to collect and evaluate patient information and identify new possibilities for their treatment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is essential to emphasize the importance of applying new methods in nursing practice to improve patient treatment effectiveness. The topic chosen is an important step toward exploring one of these methods.
References
Castle, S. (2019). Falls prevention, an issue of clinics in geriatric medicine. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Chun, A. (2019). Geriatric practice: A competency based approach to caring for older adults. Springer Nature.
Lee, S. H., Yu, S. (2020). Effectiveness of multifactorial interventions in preventing falls among older adults in the community: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 106, Web.
Leland, N. E., Lekovitch, C., & Wong, C. (2022). Optimizing post-acute care patient safety: A scoping review of multifactorial fall prevention interventions for older adults. Elsevier Health Sciences, 41(10), pp. 2187 – 2196, Web.
Patrik, E. (2021). Integrated care and fall prevention in active and healthy aging. IGI Global.
Taylor, A. W. (2021). Physiology of exercise and healthy aging. Human Kinetics.
Staffileno, B. A., Murphy, M. P., & Buchholz S. W. (2021). Research for advanced practice nurses, fourth edition: From evidence to practice. Springer Publishing Company.
Wallis, A., Aggar, C., Massey, D. (2022). Multifactorial falls interventions for people over 65 years in the acute hospital setting: An integrative review. Collegian, 29(1), pp. 100-108, Web.