The Effects of Delirium Prevention on Fall Risks

Research regarding patient falls has become more prevalent as the push to prevent falls has increased due to the dangers it poses to patients, and the financial consequences of falls in the hospital. Research conducted on more traditional interventions, such as a bed alarm or restraints, is very extensive in showing the effectiveness of such interventions yet, falls remain a prevalent problem in hospitals. This research compares the effectiveness of delirium preventative measures on fall rates as compared to more traditional fall prevention measures in a hospital setting. For this research, five studies were reviewed to gather data on these subjects: effectiveness of other fall interventions, effectiveness of prevention of delirium on reducing falls, what nonpharmacological interventions were effective on preventing delirium, and environmental factors that affect the risk of falls in a hospital setting. Utilizing this information, the research would be to educate care givers on and then implement the most effective and sustainable measures, as shown by previous research, to prevent delirium in the patient population on a unit over a period of two months. To evaluate results, the number of falls over two months before the intervention was introduced would be compared to the number of falls over the two months the intervention was introduced. If there was a significant decrease then there is some correlation between the interventions and the risk of falls. Comparing these two sets of data would include determining the statistical significance of the figures, determining the cost effectiveness of the intervention, and gathering subjective data from caregivers on that unit on their experience implementing the interventions