Describe the study and how it relates to your area of nursing
The article chosen for the review is a retrospective study on “Medication fall risk in old hospitalized patients”. The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of medication in falls and the recurrent falls with the aim of highlighting fall risks associated with medication in hospitalized patients. The researchers concluded that there were medication-related risk factors for falls, and healthcare providers should focus on them when prescribing medications to reduce falls for patients in acute care facilities.
Understanding falls in hospitalized patients is imperative for nurse students because falls have significant impacts on patient outcomes such as mortality, morbidity and increased costs of hospitalization. Thus, it is imperative to explore and understand falls in greater depth.
How do you know this article is peer-reviewed?
Usually, a scientific paper is different from other publications. Hence, one can simply tell the article is peer-reviewed from its appearance. That is, most elements of the scholarly paper are contained in the abstract section – abstract, background, objective, design, methods, results, and conclusion. In addition, the article used technical medical terminologies and its format met scholarly standards. In addition, scholars affiliated to institutions of higher learning and care facilities conducted this study. Finally, there are scientific references used in the research.
Another indicator is that the article was published in a peer reviewed journal (Nurse Education Today).
Identify the research questions
The article lacks a direct research question. Nevertheless, the researchers have shown that risks for patient falls and medications were two scores worth investigating. Therefore, it was necessary to establish if a patient on certain medications was at risk for falls to ensure proper planning of care.
In addition, the study objective identified the relationship between medication and falls as a contributing factor to cases of falls in hospitalized patients. As a result, the objective of the study was to determine the significance of the relationship between falls and medication and thus, contribute to a greater understanding and knowledge of various factors related to patient falls.
Identify the hypothesis and variables
There was no clearly expressed study hypothesis in this research, but its variables included the following:
- Age of patients (39 years and over)
- Sex (male and female)
- Diagnosis (included a number of medical conditions under investigation)
- Medications
- Medication fall risk
- Fall occurrence
- Drug class
- Antihypertensive drugs
- Insulin, oral antidiabetic drugs and glucagon
- Number of medicated patients
- Number of drugs used by patients.
Identify theoretical framework
The study was not based on any specific nursing theory. Instead, it was based on literature review of past studies on the association between falls and medication. Various articles on falls, drugs and medication supported the review. Specifically, studies on drugs consistently related to patient fall were chosen for the review.
For instance, conclusions were drawn on certain studies that medication with certain psychiatric drugs led to higher rates of falls relative to cardiovascular system drugs. In addition, it was also established that drugs such as hypnotics and sedatives contributed to high rates of falls in hospitalized patients.
Is the article a qualitative or quantitative research study?
The study was a retrospective, quantitative study conducted between 2008 and 2010. A face-to-face method was used to carry out the study. The design was chosen to investigate the relationship between falls and medication in hospitalized patients. Specific hospital wards (acute and chronic patient wards) were chosen for the study. ANOVA and Odds Ratio were used in data analysis, and the Morse Fall Risk Scale and the Medication Fall Risk Score were used to assess fall risk.