Financial, Quality and Clinical Aspect in Curbing Patient Falls
QUESTION
After discussion with your mentor, name one financial aspect, one quality aspect, and one clinical aspect that need to be taken into account for developing the evidence-based practice project. Explain how your proposal will directly and indirectly impact each of the aspects.
Financial, Quality and Clinical Aspect in Curbing Patient Falls
ANSWER
Financial, Quality and Clinical Aspect in Curbing Patient Falls
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Patient falls among the elderly are a severe problem in healthcare, especially with the number of ‘boomer generations’ and the elderly increasing constantly. Thirty percent of the elderly above the ages of 65 experience at least a fall annually and only a third of them seek medical care. On the other hand, most elderly patients have chronic illnesses, mobility, deteriorating functioning, and gait problems, which increase the chances of fall incidences. Falls can be fatal or nonfatal and cost differently in their care; for example, a prolonged stay of patients in care due to new injuries increases healthcare and resource use costs. Other high-cost factors include diagnosis, accommodation, and treatment along the recovery journey (Badia et., 2017). According to a study by Florence et al. (2018), in 2015, fatal falls accounted for nearly $50 billion where almost 99% was spent on non-fatal falls, which spend most on health professionals expenditure, medicare, and on care resources while fatal falls spent more on health professionals since the end of injuries from such falls led to deaths. My primary concern on the financial aspect would be funding care services and labor for monitoring patients’ performance and progress.
Based on the quality aspect is capitalizing on EBP, a well-established process designed to make progress in patients’ health care (Cullen & Hnrahan, 2018). We are obliged to provide patients with quality care and avoid setbacks when providing evidence-based care. It is the responsibility of all nurses and other medical professionals to establish an environment that supports evidence-based care and sustain it to achieve positive outcomes for patients (Troseth, 2016). For the elderly patients in a nursing home, modifying their environment is vital to minimize obstructions and risks of falls.
A clinical aspect that should be considered when developing an evidence-based practice for patient falls needs to focus on care interventions that target the restoration of patient strength, vision, and balance to minimize risks of falls. Clinicians can focus on pre-falls prevention intervention systems to support elderly patients that seem to be at risk of falls and have never experienced such. The clinical approach focuses on delivering educational programs and physical activities to create awareness and enhance the patient’s capabilities to overcome intrinsic fall risk factors and environmental hazards.
References
Badia, J. M., Casey, A. L., & Petrosillo, N., Hudson, P. M., Mitchell, S. A., & Crosby, C. (2017). Impact of surgical site infection on healthcare costs and patient outcomes: a systematic review in six European countries. Journal of Hospital Infection, 96, 1-15.
Cullen, L. & Hanrahan, K. (January 9, 2018). Evidence-Based Practice and the Bottom Line: An Issue of Cost. Retrieved from https://www.hfma.org/topics/article/58754.html
Florence, C. S., Bergen, G., Atherly, A., Burns, E., Stevens, J., & Drake, C. (2018). Medical costs of fatal and nonfatal falls in older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 66(4), 693-698.
Troseth, M. R. (June 28, 2016). Evidence-based practice: The key to advancing quality and safety in healthcare. Retrieved from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/evidence-based-practice-the-key-to-advancing-quality-and-safety-in-healthcare.html
Financial, Quality and Clinical Aspect in Curbing Patient Falls