Evidence-Based Practice Approach to Reducing Patient Falls
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Evidence-Based Practice Approach to Reducing Patient Falls
Participation in scientific inquiry by medical practitioners and nurses is important for improving patient outcomes and care. Research on the occurrence of patient accident falls can be done in three ways, namely, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and research. The paper illustrates evidence-based practice as an approach to patient fall issues in hospitals.
Evidence-based practice involves updating the best of evidence into medical practice. The evidence-based practice strategy aims to resolve patient care issues using the best evidence available to make proper medical decisions (Carter, Mastro, Vose, Rivera, and Larson 2017). The approach encompasses the translation of the evidence and applying it to medical decision making. The first step in establishing the evidence-based practice is to inquire about why patients fall in the rehabilitation facility. The information would provide answers to whether the problem lies within the infrastructural problem or negligence on the part of medical nurses.
Evidence-Based Practice Approach to Reducing Patient Falls
Current evidence needs to be collected and identified about reasons for patient falls. The next step is to integrate evidence with medical opinions and expertise with patient preferences and values in making a practice change. The hospital’s standards should be updated; for instance, slippery floors should be replaced with better floor designs that are firm and support patient care. Nurses should be encouraged to adhere to ethical standards and ensure that patients are monitored while moving to avoid accidents that worsen their health.
The approach’s final steps involve integrating the evidence with clinical knowledge and inclining towards patient care improvement. Healthcare providers should implement medical guidelines that reduce and prevent patient falls in the facility. The guidelines include providing safety companions for disoriented patients that will assist patients in moving about the hospitals. Nurses should conduct frequent safety ground checks to ensure that high-risk patients are monitored and prevented from falling.
Reference
Carter, E. J., Mastro, K., Vose, C., Rivera, R., & Larson, E. L. (2017). Clarifying the conundrum: evidence-based practice, quality improvement, or research? The clinical scholarship continuum. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 47(5), 266-270.
Question
You are assigned to a quality team on a rehabilitation floor where patient falls are on the rise. What strategy would be best to approach this issue—quality improvement, evidence-based practice, or research? Support your choice with one or two examples and one or two references.
Evidence-Based Practice Approach to Reducing Patient Falls