Evaluation of a nurse-led fall prevention education program in Turkish nursing home residents

Abstract

Falls are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among the elderly living in nursing homes. There is a need to implement and evaluate fall prevention programs in nursing homes to reduce the number of falls. The purpose of this resrch was to examine the effect of a nurse-led fall prevention education program in a sample of nursing home residents in Turkey. This study was designed in line with pre- and posttest one-group methodology. The sample is composed of 46 elderly aged 60 and over, noncognitively impaired, not bedridden, able to act independently in daily life activities, and consenting to voluntarily participate in the study. Data were collected using an interview form, the Morse Fall Scale, a medication checklist, and the Falls Behavioral Scale. Study findings showed that a nurse-led fall prevention education program has an impact on increasing knowledge about medications and developing protective fall behavior. However, no effect was seen on reducing the number of falls and diminishing the fear of falling for the nursing home residents.