Heterogeneity between studies indicates that the Morse Falls Scale and STRATIFY may still be useful in particular setting s , but that widespread adoption of either is unlikely to generate benefits significantly greater than that of nursing staff clinical judgment
INTRODUCTION Fall risk screening tools are frequently used as a part of falls prevention programs in hospitals .
Design -related bias in evaluations of tool predictive accuracy could lead to overoptimistic results , which would then contribute to program failure in practice .
Falls prevention: the efficacy of a bed alarm system in an acute-care setting.
The present study examined the clinical efficacy of a bed alarm system in reducing falls from bed on a geriatric evaluation and treatment unit . A nine-month case-controlled study was design ed , in which 70 patients ( 60 women , 10 men ; mean age 84 years , range 67 - 97 years ) at increased risk for bed falls were r and omly assigned to either an experimental or a control group . Subjects in the experimental group ( n = 35 ) received a bed alarm system and those in the control group ( n = 35 ) did not . Outcome measures included bed falls , performance of the bed alarm system , and staff attitudes toward the use of the system . Although results failed to demonstrate a statistical difference in bed falls between the experimental ( n = 1 ) and control ( n = 4 ) groups ( p = 1.00 ) , there was a clinical trend toward reduced falls in the experimental group . The system functioned properly , activating an alarm in all instances when patients were transferring from bed , and with the exception of one case , nurses could respond in a timely fashion to assist patients and prevent bed falls . The system did not produce any adverse effects in patients , nor did the device interfere with the rendering of medical care . The system was well accepted by patients , families , and nurses . These data suggest that bed alarm systems are beneficial in guarding against bed falls and are an acceptable method of preventing falls
Heterogeneity between studies indicates that the Morse Falls Scale and STRATIFY may still be useful in particular setting s , but that widespread adoption of either is unlikely to generate benefits significantly greater than that of nursing staff clinical judgment
INTRODUCTION Fall risk screening tools are frequently used as a part of falls prevention programs in hospitals .
Design -related bias in evaluations of tool predictive accuracy could lead to overoptimistic results , which would then contribute to program failure in practice .