Falls in Older Adults
The Problem
The problem that this Capstone project will address is falls in older adults. The US is one of the countries recording many older experiencing falls. Over three million older people visit emergency care departments across the US to get treatment for fall-related injuries and accidents (Centers for Disease Control, 2021). According to the Centers for Disease Control (2021), one in four older people experiences at least a fall per year.
The CDC also estimated that one case of falls in every five cases causes broken bones and injuries. The agency also reports that over 800 thousand adults aged 65 years and above get admitted to hospitals due to falls-related accidents and injuries. Admission cases of hip fractures make up about 37.5% of the total number of older adults admitted to hospitals due to falls-related injuries.
The Setting
This Capstone project will be implemented in a geriatric department. As highlighted by CDC, falls is more prevalent in the older population aged 65 years and above than in other population. Older people have been selected because they are at risk of experiencing injuries or accidents as a result of falls. They risk developing fall injuries or accidents because of skeletal structure and body muscles (Zhang et al., 2019).
Description of the Problem
According to Mahmoudi et al. (2019), falls are a significant problem for older people and are caused by several factors. One of the factors that contribute to the prevalence of falls among older people is chronic health conditions. Older people often suffer from chronic health conditions such as arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and diabetes, which can impair their mobility, muscle strength, and balance, heightening their susceptibility to falling. The second factor is their age (Zhang et al., 2019).
As a person age, they tend to experience muscle weakness which leads to balance issues, further increasing their likelihood of falling. Third, Moreland et al. (2020) noted that certain medications commonly used by older people, such as antidepressants, antihypertensive drugs, and sedatives, can induce dizziness and drowsiness, heightening the risks of falls. Other factors that increase incidences of falls in the elderly population include visual impairments, environmental hazards, and physical activity (Mol et al., 2019).
Effect of the Problem
Falls have mental, medical, social, and economic effects on elderly populations who have experienced the problem. In terms of mental effects, falls can cause physical disability, which can prevent one from interacting with others, and as a result, the individual can develop mental problems such as depression (Zhang et al., 2020). Falls can cause injuries to the brain and skeletal system and thus lead to medical problems such as fractures and brain injuries. The economic status of older people who have experienced falls can be impacted because they will use a lot of money to treat injuries they have experienced the problem (Zhang et al., 2020). Lastly, falls causes movement problems which prevent the victims from socializing.
Significance of the Topic
This topic is significant because it will improve the quality of life of elderly people. Falls are a serious mental and medical, which, if not addressed care, drastically affect the quality of life of older people. The project will also improve nurses’ knowledge of addressing falls among older patients.
The Proposed Solution
The proposed intervention to education and awareness. Educating elderly people and their caregivers about fall prevention strategies, such as home safety, awareness of risk factors, and regular exercise, can help them take proactive measures to prevent falls (Ganz & Latham, 2020; Yen & Leasure, 2019; Izquierdo et al., 2021).
References
Center for Disease Control. (2021). Facts about falls. https://www.cdc.gov/falls/facts.html
Ganz, D. A., & Latham, N. K. (2020). Prevention of falls in community-dwelling older adults. New England Journal Of Medicine, 382(8), 734-743. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fp173xd
Order this paperIn_______acute care settings________(Population), how does _______bedside shift reporting________ (Intervention) compared to ______traditional reporting_________ (Comparison) affect ________patient satisfaction _______ (Outcome) within______ hospitalization period________(Time, optional)?
The quality of handover communication is a critical element that determines the quality of care from that moment onwards. There are various shift reporting approaches each having its merits and demerits. Some have challenges when it comes to engaging patients, while others are prone to missing out on vital information, which, at times, could compromise patient safety. Research by Raeisi et al. (2019) noted that poor handover increases the risk of patient safety, increases instances of missed care medical errors, and prolonged hospital stays, and by extension, increases the cost. Therefore, having the right handover approach in acute care settings is crucial for delivering quality and safe patient care.
For my capstone, I will select bedside shift reporting as my intervention. Bedside shift reporting has been hailed as an effective approach that increases patient participation during handover, thus aligning with the goals of patient-centered care. Bedside handover also facilitates interprofessional collaboration between nurses and other care providers, leading to enhanced quality in care delivery (Abou Hashish et al., 2023). However, one of its downsides has been that it takes a considerably longer duration to implement, at times, leading to delays in care delivery (Raeisi et al., 2019). Therefore, the capstone will evaluate the effectiveness between bedside shift reporting and traditional reporting in acute care settings and how it affects patient satisfaction.
References
Abou Hashish, E. A., Asiri, A. A., & Alnajjar, Y. K. (2023). Shift handover quality in Saudi critical care units: determinants from nurses’ perspectives. BMC Nursing, 22(1), 186. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01348-z
Raeisi, A., Rarani, M. A., & Soltani, F. (2019). Challenges of patient handover process in healthcare services: A systematic review. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 8, 173. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_460_18
Topic 3 DQ 2
Define the role of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) when conducting research. Provide an example of a peer-reviewed research article involving human subjects and addressing a nursing practice issue. Discuss the ethical considerations the researchers considered when conducting the study.
Initial discussion question posts should be a minimum of 200 words and include at least two references cited using APA format. Responses to peers or faculty should be 100-150 words and include one reference. Refer to “RN-BSN DQ Rubric” and “RN-BSN Participation Rubric,” located in Class Resources, to understand the expectations for initial discussion question posts and participation posts, respectively.
Research concerning human subjects is a delicate process that could lead to ethical issues if not well monitored and regulated. The role of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to protect the welfare, rights, and privacy of human subjects, by ensuring that research is conducted in an ethical and safe manner. The board has the legal authority to approve or disapprove any research activity that falls within its jurisdiction (Abedin et al., 2020). The IRB plays a critical role in ensuring that the research methodology being undertaken has the required safety protocols to prevent any harm from befalling the human participants.
One example of a peer-reviewed article involving human subjects is an article by Madan et al. (2023). The article was focused on evaluating the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of the ERAS pathway in patients undergoing elective loop ileostomy or colostomy reversal surgery. The study population consisted of 120 patients admitted for elective loop ileostomy or colostomy reversal. To conform to the ethical requirements, the researchers got approval from the Institute Ethics Committee (IEC). All participants in the study were issued w
Order this paperFalls in Older Adults
The Problem
The problem that this Capstone project will address is falls in older adults. The US is one of the countries recording many older experiencing falls. Over three million older people visit emergency care departments across the US to get treatment for fall-related injuries and accidents (Centers for Disease Control, 2021). According to the Centers for Disease Control (2021), one in four older people experiences at least a fall per year.
The CDC also estimated that one case of falls in every five cases causes broken bones and injuries. The agency also reports that over 800 thousand adults aged 65 years and above get admitted to hospitals due to falls-related accidents and injuries. Admission cases of hip fractures make up about 37.5% of the total number of older adults admitted to hospitals due to falls-related injuries.
The Setting
This Capstone project will be implemented in a geriatric department. As highlighted by CDC, falls is more prevalent in the older population aged 65 years and above than in other population. Older people have been selected because they are at risk of experiencing injuries or accidents as a result of falls. They risk developing fall injuries or accidents because of skeletal structure and body muscles (Zhang et al., 2019).
Description of the Problem
According to Mahmoudi et al. (2019), falls are a significant problem for older people and are caused by several factors. One of the factors that contribute to the prevalence of falls among older people is chronic health conditions. Older people often suffer from chronic health conditions such as arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and diabetes, which can impair their mobility, muscle strength, and balance, heightening their susceptibility to falling. The second factor is their age (Zhang et al., 2019).
As a person age, they tend to experience muscle weakness which leads to balance issues, further increasing their likelihood of falling. Third, Moreland et al. (2020) noted that certain medications commonly used by older people, such as antidepressants, antihypertensive drugs, and sedatives, can induce dizziness and drowsiness, heightening the risks of falls. Other factors that increase incidences of falls in the elderly population include visual impairments, environmental hazards, and physical activity (Mol et al., 2019).
Effect of the Problem
Falls have mental, medical, social, and economic effects on elderly populations who have experienced the problem. In terms of mental effects, falls can cause physical disability, which can prevent one from interacting with others, and as a result, the individual can develop mental problems such as depression (Zhang et al., 2020). Falls can cause injuries to the brain and skeletal system and thus lead to medical problems such as fractures and brain injuries. The economic status of older people who have experienced falls can be impacted because they will use a lot of money to treat injuries they have experienced the problem (Zhang et al., 2020). Lastly, falls causes movement problems which prevent the victims from socializing.
Significance of the Topic
This topic is significant because it will improve the quality of life of elderly people. Falls are a serious mental and medical, which, if not addressed care, drastically affect the quality of life of older people. The project will also improve nurses’ knowledge of addressing falls among older patients.
The Proposed Solution
The proposed intervention to education and awareness. Educating elderly people and their caregivers about fall prevention strategies, such as home safety, awareness of risk factors, and regular exercise, can help them take proactive measures to prevent falls (Ganz & Latham, 2020; Yen & Leasure, 2019; Izquierdo et al., 2021).
References
Center for Disease Control. (2021). Facts about falls. https://www.cdc.gov/falls/facts.html
Ganz, D. A., & Latham, N. K. (2020). Prevention of falls in community-dwelling older adults. New England Journal Of Medicine, 382(8), 734-743. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fp173xd
Izquierdo, M., Merchant, R. A., Morley, J. E., Anker, S. D., Aprahamian, I., Arai, H., & Singh, M. F. (2021). International exercise recommendations in older adults (ICFSR): expert consensus guidelines. The Journal Of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 25(7), 824-853. https://doi.org/1
Order this paperAdvancing a civil workplace culture has been a topic of interest in the current healthcare practice. Daily in nursing practice and training, nurses have to deal with some level of workplace incivility in many settings (Crawford et al., 2019). The impact of workplace incivility in nursing has been felt in more stressful environments such as emergency care units and operation units. This paper aims to describe this health issue, its impact on collaboration in nursing, its significance in nursing practice, and propose a solution to this issue.
Workplace incivility in nursing encompasses activities and behaviors that include but are not limited to bullying, eye-rolling, silent treatment, horizontal violence, and bullying, among other behaviors in the nursing workplace. In nursing education, incivility manifests as a lack of professionalism, disrespect to learners, and making these learners feel unwanted or ignored (Zhu et al., 2019). In worst-case scenarios, incivility in nursing education can present as illegal activities such as abuse, either sexual or physical, according to Zhu et al. (2019). Nursing incivility behaviors can be overt or covert. These behaviors can be perpetrated verbally or nonverbally. Disrespectful behaviors from staff toward learners can have consequences on civility in the long term because future nurses who will try to emulate these behaviors they learn from seniors.
Perpetrators of nursing incivility can be multiple in a single workplace. In most cases, the senior nurse practitioners or students are the key perpetrators of incivility (Stalter et al., 2020). Junior nurses experience uncivil nursing behaviors from instructors, healthcare assistants, subordinate workers, and sometimes physicians (Green, 2019). In other cases, these activities are horizontal. Behaviors are directed from fellow nurses and perpetrators are nurses of the same cadre in practice. Nursing incivility, especially bullying, aims at removing the victim’s power through aggression (Howard, 2019). Some cases of incivility can be deemed trivial in practice, but their impacts go beyond aggression and ego and power struggles.
Nursing workplace incivility impacts not only the individual victims but also the healthcare organization, the healthcare system, and the nursing profession. These impacts are organizational, academic, work unit-related, or personal (Crawford et al., 2019). Nursing, as a profession, is a system that relies on collaboration internally and with other professions to promote their interventions and achieve goals in care. These behaviors can seem insignificant but may have far-reaching negative consequences on nursing practice. The victims of nursing incivility can intentionally quit the profession or intentionally reduce their work effort.
The prevailing workforce shortage and availability or demand of nurses in the market are used to mask the impacts of incivility (Green, 2019). When these victims decide to stay in the profession, their intentions to leave the work or profession are always higher due to incivility. They spend a substantial amount of time worrying about their work and practice (Bar-David, 2018). In worse cases, the victims may take their frustrations on the clients.
Therefore, patient safety is jeopardized just because of workplace incivility. The risk of medication and medical errors rises due to frustration. Viciously, this culture can be passed down to learners who later practice uncivil behaviors in the workplace (Andersen et al., 2019). Poor mental health has been reported among nurses who experience workplace incivility (Howard, 2019). This impacts their productivity and the quality of the care they offer.
Nursing workplace incivility is a universal issue that silently undermines the quality of care. By jeopardizing patient safety, patient satisfaction reduces. Work efficiency and effectiveness are also likely to reduce due to a lack
Order this paperFalls in Older Adults
The Problem
The problem that this Capstone project will address is falls in older adults. The US is one of the countries recording many older experiencing falls. Over three million older people visit emergency care departments across the US to get treatment for fall-related injuries and accidents (Centers for Disease Control, 2021). According to the Centers for Disease Control (2021), one in four older people experiences at least a fall per year.
The CDC also estimated that one case of falls in every five cases causes broken bones and injuries. The agency also reports that over 800 thousand adults aged 65 years and above get admitted to hospitals due to falls-related accidents and injuries. Admission cases of hip fractures make up about 37.5% of the total number of older adults admitted to hospitals due to falls-related injuries.
The Setting
This Capstone project will be implemented in a geriatric department. As highlighted by CDC, falls is more prevalent in the older population aged 65 years and above than in other population. Older people have been selected because they are at risk of experiencing injuries or accidents as a result of falls. They risk developing fall injuries or accidents because of skeletal structure and body muscles (Zhang et al., 2019).
Description of the Problem
According to Mahmoudi et al. (2019), falls are a significant problem for older people and are caused by several factors. One of the factors that contribute to the prevalence of falls among older people is chronic health conditions. Older people often suffer from chronic health conditions such as arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and diabetes, which can impair their mobility, muscle strength, and balance, heightening their susceptibility to falling. The second factor is their age (Zhang et al., 2019).
As a person age, they tend to experience muscle weakness which leads to balance issues, further increasing their likelihood of falling. Third, Moreland et al. (2020) noted that certain medications commonly used by older people, such as antidepressants, antihypertensive drugs, and sedatives, can induce dizziness and drowsiness, heightening the risks of falls. Other factors that increase incidences of falls in the elderly population include visual impairments, environmental hazards, and physical activity (Mol et al., 2019).
Effect of the Problem
Falls have mental, medical, social, and economic effects on elderly populations who have experienced the problem. In terms of mental effects, falls can cause physical disability, which can prevent one from interacting with others, and as a result, the individual can develop mental problems such as depression (Zhang et al., 2020). Falls can cause injuries to the brain and skeletal system and thus lead to medical problems such as fractures and brain injuries. The economic status of older people who have experienced falls can be impacted because they will use a lot of money to treat injuries they have experienced the problem (Zhang et al., 2020). Lastly, falls causes movement problems which prevent the victims from socializing.
Significance of the Topic
This topic is significant because it will improve the quality of life of elderly people. Falls are a serious mental and medical, which, if not addressed care, drastically affect the quality of life of older people. The project will also improve nurses’ knowledge of addressing falls among older patients.
The Proposed Solution
The proposed intervention to education and awareness. Educating elderly people and their caregivers about fall prevention strategies, such as home safety, awareness of risk factors, and regular exercise, can help them take proactive measures to prevent falls (Ganz & Latham, 2020; Yen & Leasure, 2019; Izquierdo et al., 2021).
References
Center for Disease Control. (2021). Facts about falls. https://www.cdc.gov/falls/facts.html
Ganz, D. A., & Latham, N. K. (2020). Prevention of falls in community-dwelling older adults. New England Journal Of Medicine, 382(8), 734-743. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4fp173xd
Order this paper