Purpose of Study or Research Focus
The current rate for falls after orthopedic surgery is 1-3 falls per 1000 patients per day. These fall result in a financial loss for the hospitals as well as a decrease in the health and wellbeing of the patient (Clarke, Timm, Goldberg, & Hattrup, 2011). Hospitals employ numerous ways to determine if a patient is a fall risk. There are also many interventions used with the purpose of fall prevention. This study poses the question; how does education and patient teaching contribute to reducing falls? The purpose of this study was to determine if preoperative education could contribute to a decrease in the rate of falls among patients that had undergone total knee replacement surgeries.
Population or Sample …show more content…
The first cohort consisted of 72 patients. These patients were assigned to meet with a nurse educator to have one on one sessions at the time of their pre-op visits. They met with their educator within 14 day prior to surgery. The session lasted from 15-30 minutes. In the session, the nurse educator discussed weakness, nerve blocks, the importance of asking for help when ambulating, and how to properly use a walker. When concluding the educational session, the nurse asked each patient to recall three ways they could not become a fall victim after their surgery. 19 of the patient from this group missed their session with the nurse educator so they were added to the control group. The control group consisted of 172 patients and did not receive any fall prevention education before surgery (Clarke et al, 2011). The average age of all participants was
The current rate for falls after orthopedic surgery is 1-3 falls per 1000 patients per day. These fall result in a financial loss for the hospitals as well as a decrease in the health and wellbeing of the patient (Clarke, Timm, Goldberg, & Hattrup, 2011). Hospitals employ numerous ways to determine if a patient is a fall risk. There are also many interventions used with the purpose of fall prevention. This study poses the question; how does education and patient teaching contribute to reducing falls? The purpose of this study was to determine if preoperative education could contribute to a decrease in the rate of falls among patients that had undergone total knee replacement surgeries.
Population or Sample …show more content…
The first cohort consisted of 72 patients. These patients were assigned to meet with a nurse educator to have one on one sessions at the time of their pre-op visits. They met with their educator within 14 day prior to surgery. The session lasted from 15-30 minutes. In the session, the nurse educator discussed weakness, nerve blocks, the importance of asking for help when ambulating, and how to properly use a walker. When concluding the educational session, the nurse asked each patient to recall three ways they could not become a fall victim after their surgery. 19 of the patient from this group missed their session with the nurse educator so they were added to the control group. The control group consisted of 172 patients and did not receive any fall prevention education before surgery (Clarke et al, 2011). The average age of all participants was