Older Adult Inpatient Falls in Acute Care Hospitals: Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Environmental Factors
Authors: Zhao Yunchuan (Lucy) , Kim Heejung 
Published: June 2015

How to Obtain Contact Hours by Reading This ArticleInstructions1.3contact hours will be awarded by Villanova University College of Nursing upon successful completion of this activity. A contact hour is a unit of measurement that denotes 60 minutes of an organized learning activity. This is a learner-based activity. Villanova University College of Nursing does not require submission of your answers to the quiz. A contact hour certificate will be awarded once you register, pay the registration fee, and complete the evaluation form online athttp://goo.gl/gMfXaf. To obtain contact hours you must:1.Read the article, “Older Adult Inpatient Falls in Acute Care Hospitals: Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Environmental Factors” found on pages 29–43, carefully noting any tables and other illustrative materials that are included to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the content. Be sure to keep track of the amount of time (number of minutes) you spend reading the article and completing the quiz.2.Read and answer each question on the quiz. After completing all of the questions, compare your answers to those provided within this issue. If you have incorrect answers, return to the article for further study.3.Go to the Villanova website listed above to register for contact hour credit. You will be asked to provide your name; contact information; and a VISA, MasterCard, or Discover card number for payment of the $20.00 fee. Once you complete the online evaluation, a certificate will be automatically generated.This activity is valid for continuing education credit until June 30, 2018.Contact HoursThis activity is co-provided by Villanova University College of Nursing and SLACK Incorporated.Villanova University College of Nursing is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.Activity Objective1.Identify major risk factors as well as the significance of inpatient falls.Disclosure StatementNeither the planners nor the authors have any conflicts of interest to disclose.The current integrative literature review of 23 studies aimed to identify multidimensional risk factors of falls among older adult patients in acute care hospitals. The incidence rate of fall-related injuries ranged from 6.8% to 72.1%. Advanced age was a major intrinsic risk factor, whereas being a patient in a geriatric unit was a significant extrinsic factor for inpatient falls and fall-related injuries based on statistical significance obtained from quantitative data analyses. Other critical risk factors were: (a) cognitive impairment; (b) impaired mobility; (c) prolonged length of hospital stay; and (d) fall history. Environmental/situational factors, such as patient ambulation and fall locations, also contributed to inpatient falls. In clinical practice, nurses need to know who are the most vulnerable patients in the hospital and develop comprehensive interventions to decrease intrinsic, extrinsic, and environmental risk factors. Prospective mixed-methods studies are needed to examine psychosocial factors and consequences of falls. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 41(7), 29–43.]