Preventing Falls in Community-Dwelling Hispanic Elderly Using an Evidenced-Based Fall Prevention Toolkit

Background: One fourth of elderly falls, resulting in accidental injuries and death, causing a health concern and a financial burden. This project identified a South Texas home health agency (HHA) with a vulnerable population, nurses' knowledge deficits, and evidence-based practice (EBP) resource needs. Objective: Project aims included: implementing an EBP Stop Elderly Accidents, Death, and Injury (STEADI) fall prevention protocol to improve nurses' knowledge and minimize elderly risk in an HHA. Methods: The project employed a Quasi-Experimental with a Quality Improvement Initiative. On phase one, subjects were recruited. On phase two, the HHA's Registered (n=4) and Licensed Vocational Nurses (n=4) STEADI trained. Over three months, they applied the STEADI toolkit on community-dwelling Hispanic elderly (CDHE) (n=48). On phase three, data was analyzed and evaluated. Evaluation and Measurement: Pre- STEADI fall data was the baseline. Quantitative pre-and post-STEADI educational tests, fall data chart review, and feedback surveys were collected and analyzed over three months. Paired sample t-Test compared pre- and postSTEADI scores for nurse STEADI toolkit knowledge and patient screening effectiveness in decreasing CDHE fall rates. Results: All HHA nurses (n=8) were STEADI-trained subsequently screening the CDHE (100%). Post-STEADI revealed a statistically significant increase in the nurses' knowledge (36.25, 95% CI) and skills (147.5%, p =.007) and a decrease in the CDHE fall rates (71%, p =.019). Conclusion: Nursing Implications: Every nurse must fall screen, and HHAs should include STEADI in policy adoption to sustain fall monitoring and screening as STEADI enhanced organizational outcomes, nurse prudence, and decreased CDHE falls.