Heidi Tymkew , Beth Taylor , and Marilyn Schallom are research scientists at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, where Cassandra Arroyo is a statistician and at the time of this study Kara Vyers was the research coordinator and Eileen Costantinou was a practice specialist. Contact author: Heidi Tymkew,
Am J Nurs. 2023 Jun 1;123(6):20-25. doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000937184.96893.a7.
Hospitals are implementing a variety of fall prevention programs to reduce the fall rates of hospitalized patients. But if patients don't perceive themselves to be at risk for falling and don't adhere to fall prevention strategies, such programs are likely to be less effective. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of fall risk among hospitalized patients across four acute care specialty services.
One hundred patients who had been admitted to the study hospital and who had a Morse Fall Scale score over 45 were asked to complete the Patient Perception Questionnaire, a tool designed to explore a patient's confidence regarding their fall risk, fear of falling, and intention to engage in fall prevention activities. Morse Fall Scale scores were collected via retrospective chart review. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and independent sample t tests.
Participants' mean age was 65 years; 52% were male, 48% female. Although all 100 participants were deemed at risk for falls per their Morse Fall Scale scores, only 55% considered themselves to be at such risk. As patients' confidence in their ability to perform mobility tasks increased, their intention to ask for help and fear of falling significantly decreased. Patients who had been admitted as the result of a fall demonstrated significantly lower confidence scores and higher fear scores.
Patients who score high on fall risk assessments often don't perceive themselves to be at high risk for falling, and thus might not engage in fall prevention activities. Developing a fall risk assessment method that incorporates both a patient's physiological condition and their perception of their fall risk could help reduce fall rates in the acute care setting.
医院正在实施各种跌倒预防计划，以降低住院患者的跌倒率。但是，如果患者没有意识到自己有跌倒的风险，并且不遵守跌倒预防策略，那么这些计划可能效果不佳。本研究的目的是描述四个急性护理专科服务中住院患者对跌倒风险的认知。
对研究医院住院且 Morse 跌倒量表评分超过 45 分的 100 名患者进行问卷调查，该问卷旨在探讨患者对其跌倒风险、跌倒恐惧和参与跌倒预防活动的意愿的信心。Morse 跌倒量表评分通过回顾性病历审查收集。使用描述性统计、Pearson 相关系数和独立样本 t 检验对数据进行分析。
参与者的平均年龄为 65 岁；52%为男性，48%为女性。尽管所有 100 名参与者根据 Morse 跌倒量表评分都被认为有跌倒风险，但只有 55%的人认为自己有这种风险。随着患者对自己执行移动任务能力的信心增加，他们要求帮助和恐惧跌倒的意愿显著降低。因跌倒而入院的患者的信心评分明显较低，恐惧评分较高。
跌倒风险评估得分较高的患者往往没有意识到自己有较高的跌倒风险，因此可能不会参与跌倒预防活动。开发一种既考虑患者生理状况又考虑其跌倒风险感知的跌倒风险评估方法，可能有助于降低急性护理环境中的跌倒率。
