Scholarly record

EDUCATION OF THE PATIENT AND THE PATIENT'S FAMILY AS ONE OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR PREVENTION OF FALL OF HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS

Hana Hajduchova, I. Brabcova, V. Tothova, S. Bartlova, M. Dosedel

Abstract

At present, the patients' safety is the key parameter of quality of health care provided. Falls of hospitalized patients constitute the most frequently reported accidents in health care facilities. A fall may occur for different reasons, e.g. due to weakness or balance disorder, sudden change of health condition, sight disorder, effects of medicines, slipping due to unsuitable shoes, disorientation in unknown environment. The prevention of falls constitutes the base of nursing care for a fall-endangered patient. Each health care worker should know the information on individual interventions leading to reduction of occurrence of such incidents. The workers should be trained on measures leading to reduce the risk of fall, as well as on the way of ensuring a safe environment. The endangered group consists mainly of geriatric patients. Repeated warning and education has a great importance for geriatric patients. Fall-endangered patients, as well as their family should be informed on the reasons and ways of fall, on measures reducing the risk of fall, on undesirable effects of the medicines prescribed (e.g. due to the sleepiness and dizziness they cause), on the use of locomotory aids, on the use of signalling devices. The patients' involvement in their own health care seems indispensable. The patients are not only passive recipients of care, but they play an important role in assuring their own safety. The care for the patient should involve also the patient's family who should be offered sufficient information. The nurse should be able to make use of the information acquired from the family and educate the family on the strategy to reduce the occurrence of falls. The goal of this paper will consist in presenting one of the outcomes of the project called Analysis of factors influencing the risk of falls - potential involvement of nurses and pharmacists in minimization of the risk, implemented by the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of the University of South Bohemia in ?eskГ© Bud?jovice and the Faculty of Pharmacy of Charles University in Hradec KrГЎlovГ© in the Czech Republic. Supported by Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, Grant No. 16-33463A. All rights reserved.

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