Hi Dr Kyzar and class
Whether the author identified the scope of evidence synthesis
The scope of the evidence synthesis is focused on the issue of patient falls with injuries and the challenges related to the prevention of falls within the acute cares settings. The author has identified this scope by drawing pieces of evidence from various authors. The evidence drawn from the previous studies indicates that the issue of patient falls is a major adverse event that interferes with the quality of healthcare services that are being provided to the patients within the acute care settings for example nursing homes and healthcare facilities. The study reveals that the detrimental effects caused by the issues of patients’ falls are associated with serious bruises, trauma, fractures, and death of the patients when it is not prevented at the right time (Araujo, et al., 2017).
The evidence also supports the focus of the author by revealing that the issue of falls is a common problem that is being experienced by elderly patients. It shows that one in every three individuals more than 65 years old suffer from at least one fall every year. This is associated with either alone of combined factors such as environmental factors, social factors, psychological factors. Therefore, the author has managed to gather the literature that helps in addressing the research area that is to say the issue of patient falls. The author has managed to synthesize the literature by comparing the literature studies referenced in this work. The author has managed to assess and interpret to help in concluding on the issue of patients’ falls and how it is becoming an issue within the acute care and to the healthcare providers (Araujo, et al., 2017).
Whether stronger paraphrased sentences are included to help in supporting the contemporary sources of research evidence
Through providing the description, summary, analysis, and identification of the key concepts; there is successful paraphrasing of the sentences to help in supporting the sources of the research evidence. The evidence from one of the research evidence used i.e. (Gygax Spicer, 2017) shows the issue of falls to be a common problem amongst elderly individuals due to the factors that are either combined or occurring singularly. These factors include social, environmental, and psychological factors. This evidence is supported by the paraphrased sentence which states that the etiology of falls among their elderly patients is as a result of attempting to get out of the bed without any form of assistance from the team of healthcare providers such as nurses. The issue is further increased by other causative factors such as diseases, impulsiveness, urgency, medications, and lack of knowledge about the hospital environment. Another issue that is paraphrased to support the evidence from the research is the turnover problem among healthcare providers. Due to the inadequate number of healthcare providers such as nurses to spend more time with the patients, these elderly remains to be highly exposed to the risk of falls as a result of the low ratio of nurse to the patient (Gygax, 2017).
Whether the facts presented are related to the practice problem that has been presented in an objective way
The facts presented in the article through research evidence and conclusion from the research findings have been done objectively and they are based on the issue of patient falls and injuries and fall prevention. One of these facts is that the issue of patient falls is a common problem within acute care facilities such as nursing homes and hospitals. They are linked to some of the preventable factors related to the social, environmental, and psychological factors. Due to the reduction in the ability to perform most of the ADLs, elderly patients are considered to be high-risk individuals who require help from the nurses to overcome the issue of falls which increases the risks of preventable injuries and deaths. These patients also experience the side effects of the medications, illness, impulsiveness, and urgency thus exposing them to a high risk of falls when effective interventions are not developed (Araujo, et al., 2017).
The other key fact linked to the issue of fall prevention is the lack of adequate nurses to help patients with their needs such as pottying and movement within the hospital. Due to the lack of knowledge about the hospital environment as well as lack of adequate to respond to their needs immediately, elderly patients remain highly exposed to severe bruises, fractures, traumas, and preventable deaths (Araujo, et al., 2017).
Whether the author uses sources to support the ideas and claims
The argument presented by the author is supported by the evidence from past studies. According to the argument from the author, the issue of falls among patients occurs as a result of their attempts to get out of bed without any form of assistance from the nurses. The author also argues that patients’ falls is also associated with the urgency, illness, medication being used by the patients, impulsiveness, and unfamiliarity with the hospital environment in addition to the increase in the turnover of the nurse staffing which reduces the number of nurses in the hospitals.
These arguments are supported by the research evidence used by the author. According to Gygax Spicer (2017), one to three persons of ages 65 years and above do suffer from at least one fall every year as a result of multiple factors that are linked to social, environmental, and psychological factors. The issue of illness, impulsiveness, urgency, and medication as presented by the author is the social and psychological factors that are demonstrated in the research evidence. The issue of a low number of patients is an environmental factor within the hospital facility. This increases the level of exposure of these patients to the risk of falls (Gygax, 2017). According to the author, patients always attempt to get out of their bed without any assistance from the nurses. Due to the lack of knowledge about the environment of the hospitals, the majority of them fall. De Medeiros Araujo et al (2015) shows that such falls expose them to mild and severe bruises, fractures, traumas, and even deaths. The few numbers of nurses in the facility imply that there would be no nurses left to keep an eye on other patients who might require help with pottying and bathing (de Medeiros Araujo, et al., 2017).
Whether this exemplar is a true synthesis of the evidence
The exemplar presented is a true synthesis of the evidence concerning the issue of patient falls and the complex nature of preventing such falls. Even though the presentation is majorly based on the arguments based on the research evidence, the information presented is a true reflection of what is happening in acute care settings. Even though efforts have been made to help in addressing the issue of patient falls, the evidence synthesis further confirms that addressing this issue is still complicated as a result of the high turnover that leads to the low number of nurses to care for the growing number of patients who are seeking services for their chronic conditions. The low number of nursing staff makes it impossible to implement the nursing hourly rounds and this complicates the interventions of efforts being made to ensure that there is the successful process of implementing the nursing hourly rounds (Araujo, et al., 2017).
The issue of patient falls is also associated with the problems caused by the medication and the psychological issues of the patients. The reduction in physical strength and mental well-being results in the reduction of the ability of the patients to perform their ADLs such as bathing. In acute care, these patients require help from the patients with the roles such as bathing and pottying. Due to the lack of adequate nurses, it makes it hard for these patients to have their needs rendered at the right time. Therefore, they are forced to get out of bed with no form of help from the nurses. Due to their reduced physical and mental ability as well as lack of knowledge about the hospital environment, they find themselves falling on the ground thus exposing them to mild to severe bruises, fractures, trauma, and death. Therefore, the effective process of addressing the issue of patients’ falls requires the process of dealing with the complications within the facility at first for example addressing the issue of lower nurse-patient ratios and improvement in the hospital environment by increasing the number of caregivers within the wards while nurses are busy caring for other patients (Araujo, et al., 2017).
References
Araujo, J. N., Fernandes, A. P., Moura, L. A., Santos, M. M., Ferreira Junior, M. A., & Vitor, A. F. (2017). Validation of nursing outcome content Fall prevention behavior in a hospital environment. http://www.repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/23831
de Medeiros Araujo, C. X., de Lima Silva, V., Guerra, G. C., Ferreira, A. H., de Araujo Barbosa, S. J., & de Araujo Junior, A. A. (2017). Quality of life, integrative community therapy, family support, and satisfaction with health services among elderly adults with and without symptoms of depression. Psychiatric Quarterly, 88(2), 359-369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-016-9453-z
Gygax, S. J. (2017). The Got-A-Minute Campaign to Reduce Patient Falls with Injury in an Acute Care Setting. MedSurg Nursing, 26(5).
