Barner, Y. M., Vaughan-Robinson, L., & Adjei, J. (2024). Implementing policy to increase health literacy in falls prevention: A teach-back and show-back intervention. Journal of Public Health in the Deep South, 4(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.55533/2996-6833.1079
This research article by Barner et al. (2024) discusses applying the Teach-Back/Show-Back approach to enhancing fall prevention education in older adults in community settings such as faith-based communities and adult daycares. The intervention was aimed at promoting participants' knowledge of how to prevent falls. Prior to intervention, only 30% of the participants reported principal fall prevention strategies, but all individuals reported multiple approaches after intervention. Nurses can use this article to understand how informative approaches, such as interaction, can strengthen health literacy, particularly the prevention of falls. The research describes how important it is to provide information as well as to verify that patients demonstrate knowledge through Teach-Back/Show-Back approaches. Nurses can apply this approach when teaching patients, particularly high-risk older adults, about falling to improve retention and encourage active health management.
Heng, H., Kiegaldie, D., Shaw, L., Jazayeri, D., Hill, A. M., & Morris, M. E. (2022). Implementing patient falls education in hospitals: A mixed-methods trial. Healthcare, 10(7), 1298. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10071298
This mixed-method research by Heng et al. (2022) investigates acute hospital falls prevention education implementation. The research highlights the provision of a scripted conversation that is supported by a falls prevention brochure through nurse practitioners and allied health professionals, with an assessment of enablers and inhibitors of successful implementation. Time issues, cognitive impairments of patients, and limited interprofessional working were identified as key inhibitors of consistent provision of education. Leadership endorsement and patient empowerment through education were identified as facilitators. Nurses can refer to this resource to understand real-world challenges in providing falls education and identify ways of overcoming these. The study identifies the significance of formal training, leadership endorsement, and collaboration in achieving successful outcomes in falls prevention programs. Nurses can learn lessons from this research in acute settings to implement consistent provision of falls education that aligns with organizational objectives and patient outcomes.
Heng, H., Slade, S. C., Jazayeri, D., Jones, C., Hill, A. M., Kiegaldie, D., & Morris, M. E. (2021). Patient perspectives on hospital falls prevention education. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 592440. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.592440
This qualitative research study, written by Heng et al. in 2021, explores hospitalized patients' knowledge about falling, how patients determine their own risk for falling, and how patients are educated about prevention tactics. The research identifies that several patients mistakenly estimated their falling risk, frequently due to their perception that hospital settings already offered ample safety. It also identifies variability in falls prevention teaching, with patients experiencing different experiences about the timing and quality of information imparted. Nurses can draw upon this source to develop an awareness of patient attitudes toward teaching about falling prevention, which opens their eyes to the difficulties involved in conveying rigor about fall risks effectively. Through supplementing teaching methods with frequent, personalized teaching approaches that are easy, fun, and interactive, like small groups, for example, nurses can enhance their students' comprehension and retention. This source is especially useful in crafting patient-centered, more effective falling prevention programs that are individualized to patients' learning styles and knowledge.