Topic: There is increased risk of fall among older adults in society. The risk of fall can be reduced by implementing multifactorial prevention interventions.
| Criteria | Article 1 | Article 2 | Article 3 | Article 4 |
| Author, Journal (Peer-Reviewed), and Permalink or Working Link to Access Article
| 6 keys to reduce patient falls in hospitals. (2020, November 18). Retrieved from https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/settings/hospital/fall-prevention/toolkit/index.html
| Davenport, K., Cameron, A., Samson, M., Sri-On, J., & Liu, S. W. (2020, July 10). Fall Prevention Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors: A Survey of Emergency Providers. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7390582/
| Fall Prevention in Hospitals: How to Reduce Risks. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/8977-reducing-your-risk-of-falls-in-the-hospital
| Fall prevention: Simple tips to prevent falls. (2019, October 04). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/fall-prevention/art-20047358
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| Article Title and Year Published
| 6 keys to reduce patient falls in hospitals published in 2015. | Fall prevention knowledge, attitudes and behaviors published in 2020. | Reducing your risk of falls in the hospital published in 2020. | Fall prevention: simple tips to prevent falls published in 2019. |
| Research Questions (Qualitative)/Hypothesis (Quantitative)
| What interventions should be implemented in managing and preventing falls among the elderly in hospitals? | Describe the level of knowledge and implementation of geriatric emergency department guidelines designed to reduce frequency of falls among the elderly? | What procedures should one undertake to reduce the risk of falling in a hospital? | What tips are necessary to reduce the risk of falls in a home set up? |
| Purposes/Aim of Study | To sensitize medical practitioners on fall prevention guidelines which aim to reduce risk of falls in hospitals. | To assess emergency providers knowledge of geriatric emergency department guidelines and current emergency department practices regarding falls of elderly patients | To determine when patients should talk to care givers regarding fall prevention and ways to reduce the likelihood of a fall. | To determine fall prevention strategies. |
| Design (Type of Quantitative, or Type of Qualitative)
| Qualitative- A systematic review was conducted. | Qualitative- A systematic review was conducted. | Qualitative- A systematic review was conducted. | Qualitative- A systematic review was conducted. |
| Setting/Sample
| Hospital setting. | Emergency department setting. | Hospital setting. | Home set up. |
| Methods: Intervention/Instruments
| Systematic review. | Phenomenological research through semi-structured qualitative survey. | Phenomenological research through question-and-answer survey. | Systematic review. |
| Analysis
| Development of guidelines to mitigate the risk factors associated with patient falls. | Analysis of implementation of geriatric fall prevention guidelines. | Development of risk factors and procedures that reduce the risk of falling. | Outline of recommendations to prevent falls in a home setup. |
| Key Findings
| Raising awareness of the need to prevent patient falls, creation of a multi department fall prevention unit, the usage of a standardized screening tool. | The low-rate compliance is due to lack of adequate knowledge regarding the guidelines. Additionally, lack of standardized screening tools and existence of a gap between understanding of the guidelines and implementation. | The aggravating factors include; unfamiliar settings, dizziness, illnesses and lack of activity. Recommendations include; being active, using assistance device when walking, using nonskid shoes and avoiding walking in dim places. elaborate care plan which includes disclosing recent falls and allowing them to provide support when walking. | The tips include; evaluation of risk of falling through a screening tool, regular cognitive and balance exercises, and making home safer through erecting grab bars and railings, removal of clutter and proper lighting. |
| Recommendations
| Further research is needed to strengthen evidence. | Improvement of training among the providers. More research is required to determine which patients benefit most from screening and intervention instead of a generalized approach. | There is need for more research on the desired level of activity required to mitigate the risks of falling. | Further research will be required to examine the frequency of exercises that are effective in preventing falls. |
| Explanation of How the Article Supports EBP/Capstone Project
| The Article focuses on prevention of falls among the geriatric patients. | The article focuses on fall prevention in emergency departments. | The article focuses on fall prevention interventions and risk factors. | The article focuses on fall prevention interventions and risk factors. |
