Postoperative Patient Falls
Hospitalized patient falls affect health in huge way as they directly affect safety of patients as well as the concern for the quality of healthcare public health facilities around the world provide to patients. While limited data and information is available concerning inpatient falls following patients going on surgery, falls among hospitalized patients have been extensively studies. Falls is one of the major causes of morbidity like lacerations, closed head injuries and fractures among patients (Vhurch et al., 2011).
It has been shown that fall measurements determine patient outcomes since falls are often reported as adverse events in hospitals among the adult patient population. Falls make up a big part of the problems plaguing the health sector globally. Of all the adverse events in a hospital setting, falls is one of the most significant with nearly 3-20% of inpatients experiencing a fall at least once over the time they are hospitalized. Of these falls, 30 to 51% cause injuries (Quigly & White, 2003). 6% to 44% of the injuries are similarly classed (e.g. subdural hematomas, excessive bleeding, fracture) and may cause death. It therefore goes that reducing the number of falls and improving patient care quality is a goal of most governments and health care workers the world over.
Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Competencies
Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), as an organization, has the goal of meeting the challenge of equipping future nurses with the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to constantly better the safety and quality of healthcare services and systems where they work. The safety and quality skills and competencies earmarked to be imparted on nurses include: safety, informatics, teamwork, collaboration, patient-centered care and evidence-based practice (Dolansky & Moore, 2013; Cronenwett et al., 2007). As far as patient falls is concerned, the key competencies are safety, team work, collaboration, quality improvement and patient-centered care.
Case Study
A 62-year-old patient who had gone through dialysis and went back home, was having feelings of lightheadedness as he climbed the stairs in his home. He then fell face forward on the concrete. On calling 911, medics arrived and he was taken for evaluation at the ER. He ended up being admitted in a medical surgical unit on September 15, 2015. He told the medics that he was experiencing great pain on the lower right extremities. When X-rays were done, they revealed a right femoral neck fracture. The patient has complained before that on getting a dialysis, he often experiences feeling of dizziness. He had had other falls in the past due to the dizziness. On September 18, 2015 a total arthroplasty on the right hip was done and the patient fell down on September 19, 2015. It was noted that the pain being experienced by the patient was 8/10 on the numeric scale. My observation leads me to believe that the patient is indeed prone to fall risk but there weren't any fall prevention measures and protocols put in place to prevent further falls. Signs were lacking on the floor mat, bed alarms, alert wristband and the door.
Relation of problem to QSEN competency and KSAs
Safety
The knowledge required involves an examination of human factors and various other principles plus commonly applied but unsafe way of doing things like unclear abbreviations and work-arounds. The skills needed comprise of the ability to competently use standard practices and technology in ensuring patient safety. Lastly, attitudes deal with valuing the importance of standardization in ensuring safety
Patient-Centered Care:
The knowledge required involves integration of various facts of patient centered care like care integration and coordination, education, communication and information, provision of emotional and physical support, getting friends and family actively involved and providing a smooth transition to normalcy. The skills needed involve an ability to communicate the patient's values and preferences to other professionals while the requisite attitudes involve having a good understanding of the importance of seeking healthcare situations from the patient's point-of-view as well as respecting and encouraging self-expression of preferences, needs and values.
Quality Improvement:
Knowledge required involves an ability to describe and define the strategies to be used in learning more about patient outcomes and being able to identify and decode commonly applied but unsafe ways...
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