Falls risk screening tools intended to reduce fall risk among independent community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review.

AIMS: The aim of this study is to evaluate an evidence-based fall risk screening tool to predict the risk of falls suitable for independent community-dwelling older adults guided by the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (WHO-ICF) components, and to examine the reliability and validity of the fall risk screening tool to predict fall risks, and to examine the feasibility of tools among independent community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: A systematic literature search guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was performed using the EBSCOHost® platform, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Google Scholar between July and August 2021. Studies from January 2010 to January 2021 were eligible for review. Nine articles were eligible and included in this systematic review. The risk of bias assessment used the National Institutes of Health quality assessment tool for observational cohort and cross-sectional studies. The WHO-ICF helped to guide the categorization of fall risk factors. RESULTS: Seven screening tools adequately predicted fall risk among community-dwelling older adults. Six screening tools covered most of the components of the WHO-ICF, and three screening tools omitted the environmental factors. The modified 18-item Stay Independent Brochure demonstrated most of the predictive values in predicting fall risk. All tools are brief and easy to use in community or outpatient settings. CONCLUSION: The review explores the literature evaluating fall risk screening tools for nurses and other healthcare providers to assess fall risk among independent community-dwelling older adults. A fall risk screening tool consisting of risk factors alone might be able to predict fall risk. However, further refinements and validations of the tools before use are recommended.

Simulated electronic health documentation: A cross-sectional exploration of factors influencing nursing students' intention to use.

The aim of this study was to investigate factors influencing nursing students' intention to use a simulated web-application 'Integrated Nursing Education System' for practicing electronic health documentation. The cross-sectional study was conducted at a Malaysian University that provides undergraduate nursing degree program. A total of 133 undergraduate nursing students in their year 2 to year 4 of the program were recruited. They had accessed the simulated web-application as part of the teaching-learning activities during the academic year 2016/2017. Technology Acceptance Model was used to guide the study. Validated questionnaires were used to measure the students' perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitudes and intention to use the application. Data collection was done at the end of the semester. Data analysis was done using SPSS (19.0) and AMOS (23.0). Perceived usefulness was the most influential factor of the students' intention to use the simulated web-application. Perceived ease of use influenced their perceived usefulness significantly. Nurse educators should explain the usefulness of the simulated web-application before assigning students to access it to practice electronic health documentation. The availability of a stable internet access and IT support is important to influence students' perceived ease of use and intention to use the application.

Systematic Review of the Effect of Reflective Materials Around a Phototherapy Unit on Bilirubin Reduction Among Neonates With Physiologic Jaundice in Developing Countries.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the efficacy and safety of the use of various cost-effective reflective materials around phototherapy units to reduce the duration of phototherapy and hasten the reduction of bilirubin among neonates with physiologic jaundice. DATA SOURCES: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials identified from searches in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, ScienceDirect, Embase, and the Cochrane Library with the use of keywords, MeSH terms, operators, and the review of reference lists of retrieved articles. STUDY SELECTION: From a total of 186 studies initially screened, five were eventually included in this analysis. DATA EXTRACTION: Two authors independently reviewed each study with a standard template. Review parameters included the quality of each study based on the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale and the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials guidelines. DATA SYNTHESIS: All studies were generalizable and were rated as high quality on the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale; one study scored 8 points, and the other four scored 6 points each. The reflective materials used in these studies included the following: white 100% cotton cloths (one study), white plastic covers (two studies), underpads (one study), and silver fabric cloth (one study). Pooled analysis of three studies indicated that reflective materials significantly reduced the duration of phototherapy with a large effect size of 0.82 (p = .04). Pooled analysis of another three studies indicated that the mean decrease of the total serum bilirubin 4 hours after the initiation of phototherapy was significantly greater when reflective materials were added (mean difference of 11.39 µmol/L, 95% confidence interval [2.26, 20.52 µmol/L], p = .01). CONCLUSION: The addition of reflective materials to phototherapy units may be therapeutic for neonates with physiologic jaundice.