INTRODUCTION
Inpatient falls is one of the most devastating problems in the acute care settings. It has estimated that one-third of adult patients, age 65 years and older fall and the injuries related to falls increase with age (Abraham, 2011). Falls not only cause physical harm, but can have lasting psychological consequences for the patient, such as decreased quality of life. Furthermore, Medicare stopped paying reimbursements to hospitals for treating fall-related complications. Improved monitoring by staff is one of the nursing intervention to prevent falls.
In order to enhance nursing care and improve patient outcomes, nursing rounds have been introduced (Lyons, Brunero, & Lamont, 2015). Nursing rounds, which involve a checklist approach …show more content…
The study was undertaken at the Leeds teaching Hospitals to assess whether hourly rounding should be introduced routinely in high dependency unit (HDU) (Lowe & Hodgson, 2012). The trial was carried out over a two-week period and included all the patients on the unit at that period. The principles of Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle were utilized to determine the effect of hourly rounding. Measurement using the NHS Safety Thermometer was done before the rounding trial period began and continued throughout the length of the study. A rounding log was devised, addressing the four Ps. The patients involved in the study have several mobility constraints, such as invasive monitoring devices, surgical drains, and urinary catheters. These factors increase the risk for falling. The limitation of the study included a short trial period and a small patient sample. The results of the study showed no patient falls during the trial period, although there were no patient falls two months prior the trial. The findings were inconclusive of whether hourly rounding reduced patient falls. The study concluded that since hourly observations were already monitored in HDU and the nurse to patient ratio is much lower, more time is required to provide reliable
Inpatient falls is one of the most devastating problems in the acute care settings. It has estimated that one-third of adult patients, age 65 years and older fall and the injuries related to falls increase with age (Abraham, 2011). Falls not only cause physical harm, but can have lasting psychological consequences for the patient, such as decreased quality of life. Furthermore, Medicare stopped paying reimbursements to hospitals for treating fall-related complications. Improved monitoring by staff is one of the nursing intervention to prevent falls.
In order to enhance nursing care and improve patient outcomes, nursing rounds have been introduced (Lyons, Brunero, & Lamont, 2015). Nursing rounds, which involve a checklist approach …show more content…
The study was undertaken at the Leeds teaching Hospitals to assess whether hourly rounding should be introduced routinely in high dependency unit (HDU) (Lowe & Hodgson, 2012). The trial was carried out over a two-week period and included all the patients on the unit at that period. The principles of Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle were utilized to determine the effect of hourly rounding. Measurement using the NHS Safety Thermometer was done before the rounding trial period began and continued throughout the length of the study. A rounding log was devised, addressing the four Ps. The patients involved in the study have several mobility constraints, such as invasive monitoring devices, surgical drains, and urinary catheters. These factors increase the risk for falling. The limitation of the study included a short trial period and a small patient sample. The results of the study showed no patient falls during the trial period, although there were no patient falls two months prior the trial. The findings were inconclusive of whether hourly rounding reduced patient falls. The study concluded that since hourly observations were already monitored in HDU and the nurse to patient ratio is much lower, more time is required to provide reliable