N 515 identify 2 quantitative research on the correlation between patient falls and nurse-to-patient ratios in hospitals
Patient Falls and Nurse-to Patient Ratios in Hospitals
Falls among hospitalized patients are some of the leading causes of poor patient outcomes, increased cost of care, reduced quality, and longer stays in hospitals. Patient falls occur due to different causes, key among them, nurse-patient- ratios, among other factors. Studies show that older adults residing in nursing homes get worse outcomes and complications after falls and upon admission to hospitals compared to their counterparts in community settings. In their quantitative systematic review of the relationship between nurse skill mix and nursing-sensitive patient outcomes in acute care environment that include patient falls, Twigg et al. (2019) concluded that higher nursing skill mix had a positive relationship with improved patient outcomes, including a reduction in falls based on the ratio of patients to nurses. The study observes that effective nurse-to-patient ratios allow nurses to offer better care and monitor patients effective to reduce susceptibility to falls and fall incidents. The findings suggest that having effective nurse-patient ratios improves patient satisfaction and ensures that practitioners have increased time to interact with patients, including attending to their needs to reduce chances of experiencing falls.
The second article by Omotowa and Hussey (2020) looks at the association between nurse staffing and falls among
older adults in nursing homes. The quantitative study shows that increased number of nurses with skill-mix reduced the number of falls in different care settings that include nursing homes and hospitals. The findings from the study align with the conclusion of another study by Dykes et al. (2020) that examined the use of nurse-led-fall-prevention tool in reducing the number of falls in healthcare settings. According to the two studies, nurse-patient-rations are essential in enhancing the ability of nurses to offer quality café focused on preventing falls.
References
Dykes, P. C., Burns, Z., Adelman, J., Benneyan, J., Bogaisky, M., Carter, E., … & Ba
tes, D. W.
(2020). Evaluation of a patient-centered fall-prevention tool kit to reduce falls and injuries: a nonrandomized controlled trial. JAMA network open, 3(11), e2025889-e2025889. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.25889
Omotowa, O. O. & Hussey, L. C. (2020). Nurse Staffing and Falls Among the Older Adults in
Nursing Homes. Journal of Nursing Home Research, 6:90-92. http://dx.doi.org/10.14283/jnhrs.2020.24
Twigg, D. E., Kutzer, Y., Jacob, E., & Seaman, K. (2019). A quantitative systematic review of
the association between nurse skill mix and nursing‐sensitive patient outcomes in the acute care setting. Journal of advanced nursing, 75(12), 3404-3423. doi: 10.1111/jan.14194