Introduction
One of the essential nursing problems in the United States of America is the possibility of multiple falls among people over sixty years old. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to prevent old individuals from falling when they stay alone. Nowadays, there are many studies aimed at solving the given problem and reducing all the possible risks to the minimum. The following paper is intended to cover the results of an interview with nursing professionals and literature review focused on the issue of falls and its influence on the patients’ health.
Interview Results
Determined Measures
Several measures that are considered to be useful in resolving the problem of falls and their effects on individuals over sixty years old were discussed during the confidential interview with two nursing experts. According to their statements, it is necessary to support the elderly to maintain their health stable and prevent serious fractures (Bouldin et al., 2013). Also, it is advantageous to undergo a medical examination to detect any vision problems that might lead to multiple falls.
Summary
Some challenges to obtaining credible data as to the effects of falls on the elderly were also addressed. One of the most important problems is the fact that every person might be influenced by the given issue differently. Therefore, it is almost impossible to predict the exact harm that is being caused to patients when they do not have enough balance and fall (Spath, 2013).
However, the number of hospital clients that undergo treatment courses in medical institutions because of fall consequences is a decent quality indicator of these people’s safety in the conditions described above. It would be proper to state that this indicator is measured by analyzing hospital statistics in the literature (Stubbs et al., 2014). Usually, nurses record information about a number of patients with certain health issues in their settings to acquire approximate data about a particular problem’s seriousness across the country.
Discussion
Some gaps were identified in the overviewed data during the literature research. The first challenge implies under-real life conditions and the performance of fall detectors (Igual, Medrano, & Plaza, 2013). Usually, such studies are performed in hospital settings on purpose. Hence, they might not provide reliable data as to the same issue that might occur in people’s everyday lives. Also, old individuals might not be able to use some electronic devices because they do not have enough time to learn all their functions (Yoder-Wise, 2015).
It would be proper to mention that such sources of data as hospital staff surveys, medical records of patients, and direct observations of care are important to consider when assessing the given issue. “Direct observation of care, where a trained observer determines, for example, whether a patient’s call light is within reach, will be the most accurate approach for certain care processes but can be time-consuming” (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2013). Moreover, medical observations remain the easiest method of identification. However, some acquired data might not be documented appropriately.
Conclusion
The problem of multiple falls among people over sixty years old in the United States of America is a tremendous issue that is prevalent all over the country. To prevent such cases, it is necessary to analyze and obtain an understanding of various reasons that lead to falls in the elderly and all the consequences. However, there are not many reliable sources of information to analyze this data as all the research on this topic does not imply real-life conditions. The most precise data might be collected from medical observations, patients’ records, and staff surveys.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2013). How do you measure fall rates and fall prevention practices? Web.
Bouldin, E. L., Andresen, E. M., Dunton, N. E., Simon, M., Waters, T. M., Liu, M.,… Shorr, R. I. (2013). Falls among adult patients hospitalized in the United States. Journal of Patient Safety, 9(1), 13-17. Web.
Igual, R., Medrano, C., & Plaza, I. (2013). Challenges, issues and trends in fall detection systems. BioMedical Engineering OnLine, 12(1), 66. Web.
Spath, P. (2013). Introduction to healthcare quality management (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.
Stubbs, B., Schofield, P., Binnekade, T., Patchay, S., Sepehry, A., & Eggermont, L. (2014). Pain is associated with recurrent falls in community-dwelling older adults: Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pain Medicine, 15(7), 1115-1128. Web.
Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2015). Leading and managing in nursing (6th ed.). Saint Louis, MO: Mosby Inc.