Enhancing Pediatric Patient Safety by Evaluating the Effect of Targeted Education on Nurses' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Fall Prevention.

Background Patient safety in pediatric care is a critical concern, as hospital environments pose unique risks for children, particularly falls. Despite advancements in healthcare, falls remain a common safety issue, emphasizing the need for effective preventive measures. Nurses play a vital role in reducing fall risks, but gaps in their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) can hinder the success of these efforts. This study evaluates the impact of targeted education on enhancing nursing officers' KAP of fall prevention. Materials and methods A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design was conducted in the pediatric units of a tertiary care hospital in Bhopal. Nursing officers with at least one year of pediatric experience participated. KAP was assessed before a structured educational intervention, which included a workshop and educational materials. One week post-intervention, data were collected to measure changes. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics version 26 (IBM Corp. Released 2019. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.), with paired t-tests assessing improvements in KAP and chi-square tests examining associations with demographic variables. Results A total of 64 nurses participated, with the majority being between 26 and 30 years old and holding a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Pre-intervention knowledge levels indicated that most participants had average knowledge, which significantly improved post-intervention (mean score: 16.2 ± 4.20 to 24.0 ± 3.37, p<0.001). Attitudes toward fall prevention became more positive (mean score: 69.7 ± 6.07 to 73.5 ± 4.82, p<0.001), and preventive practices improved significantly (mean score: 10.7 ± 2.15 to 12.8 ± 1.50, p<0.001). Knowledge was significantly associated with age (p=0.029) and marital status (p=0.021), while attitudes and practices were linked to the department and the age group of the children in care. Conclusions Targeted educational interventions significantly improved nurses' KAP of pediatric fall prevention. Although the intervention led to immediate improvements, further research is needed to assess long-term retention and sustainability. Continuous professional development, institutional policies, and interdisciplinary collaboration are essential to maintaining high standards of pediatric patient safety.