ABSTRACT
A fall prevention program providing staff education, quantitative assessment of gait and balance, risk factors assessment, and evidence-based interventions was introduced on two geriatric wards of a regional psychiatric hospital. A within-subjects comparison was made of fall occurrence during the 4-month pre-intervention phase and the 4-month post-intervention phase using Fisher's exact test. Among those (N = 23) who survived the duration of the study, significantly fewer falls occurred in the post-intervention time period than in the pre-intervention time period (p < 0.01). Comprehensive assessment, problem identification, and intervention planning by nurses may serve to reduce the number of falls among elderly individuals with severe psychiatric disorders.
Subject(s)
Accidental Falls/prevention & control , Accidental Falls/statistics & numerical data , Geriatric Nursing/methods , Hospitals, Psychiatric/statistics & numerical data , Primary Prevention/organization & administration , Age Distribution , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Canada , Female , Geriatric Psychiatry , Humans , Incidence , Male , Middle Aged , Patient Education as Topic/methods , Probability , Program Evaluation , Risk Factors , Sampling Studies , Sex DistributionABSTRACT
Using traditional approaches, nursing faculty members may find clinical teaching stressful in today's fast-paced hospital settings. The Clinical Teaching Associate Model, pilot tested by an associate and a baccalaureate degree program in three hospitals, enabled staff nurses to assist faculty members in the direct clinical supervision of students. The benefits for students and faculty members and the potential use of the model to design varied clinical experiences for students are discussed.
