Increase Number of Fails in Delirious Patients in ICU
Introduction
The submission criteria supported by this journal were well spelled out. Precisely, the author needed to present a brief description of the research proposal in an abstract. The content of the abstract had to be concise and detailed. Additionally, the originality of the articles presented had to be unquestionable, therefore, the authors needed to submit authentic materials to the journal before the evaluation process began. The criteria mentioned that the author needed to provide an outline of the methodology to be used in the presentation of the project. As a result, there was a need to mention the approach and the reason for engaging in the project. The abstract presented needed to contain a variety of keywords that would be discussed in the overall project. Finally, the author needed to satisfy all the criteria specified in the website before presenting their proposals for evaluation.
The high number of falls for delirious patients in the ICU is alarming. This has led to the increase in the injuries incurred during the occurrence of these events. According to the World Health Organization (2008), nearly 70 percent of the patients released from the intensive care unit have a heightened possibility of experiencing patient falls. Depending on the nature of the accident and the position location where the delirious victim experiences the fall, the possibilities of getting injured are unquestionable. The development of these injuries compromises the betterment of the delirious patients as it leads to the worsening of their health complications. Finally, the strategies implemented by health institutions in containing this issue have proven to be inefficient. In spite of the positive feedback experienced through the current methodologies utilized in the containment of this problem, the effects of these falls are still detrimental. Consequently, there is a need to assess the current provisions and implement a more comprehensive approach in dealing with the increasing number of falls among delirious patients in the ICU.
Purpose of this project
The purpose of this research is to determine the negative impacts of patient falls among delirious patients in the ICU and propose an appropriate solution to the neutralization of this issue. Additionally, this project is intentioned to make the task of preventing patient falls lesser engaging to the nurses than in currently is. This initiative will be made possible through the utilization of influential measures aimed to stabilize the issue.
Research question
The development of this research and the implementation methodology would be based on a variety of research questions. They include, what causes the increase in the number of falls among delirious patients in the ICU? Additionally, What are the most appropriate intervention methods for this problem? The utilization of these queries would make the overall research and implementation manageable.
Hypotheses
Owing to the fact that this is a comprehensive research involving scientific principles, the utilization of a hypothesis is essential in the provision of guidelines for the research. The hypothesis used in this research is that the utilization of technology can reduce the number of patient falls among delirious patients in the ICU. Through the analysis of real life nursing scenarios, this research seeks to validate the rationality of this hypothesis.
Methodology
Based on the first research question, a quantitative methodology would be used to establish the number of fall cases among delirious patients in the ICU. The research team would gather information from the databases of the test organization. The information collected has to be relevant to the research topic. After the collection of this information, analysis of the reports would be done to ascertain the number of patients experiencing falls during their admission period in the intensive care unit and after their discharging. The information collected during this exercise would be used as a reference point for the field research to be conducted on a target population. The research team will then get responses from ICU patients that had delirious problems. Questionnaires would be used for the patients that feel uncomfortable revealing their identity and giving immediate responses. However, interviews would be conducted largely on the remainder of the population to evaluate the accuracy of the information collected from the organization’s database.
In response to the second research questions, the evaluation of the effectiveness of the current procedures would be established. This initiative would be made possible through analysis of the outcomes embraced by the organizations utilizing these provisions. The measures utilized by these institutions would be noted down for reference during the generation of the effective approach to be used. Since this project heavily relies on the usage of technology to facilitate the decline in the number of falls among patients with delirium from the ICU, evaluation of the costs is imperative (Lamb, Jørstad-Stein, Hauer & Becker, 2005). As a result, the determination cost of the required equipment would be done prior to the commencement of the implementation process. The nursing personnel would be interrogated to get a feedback on the impact of the implementation of this procedure to their workability. The effect on their productivity would be considered in the development of an implementation procedure.
Steps in the implementation of the project
The initial step in the implantation of this project is the evaluation of the current policies. Precisely, the research team will determine the nature of the current fall prevention system. This is an effective initiative as it enables the researchers to determine the areas that need to be amended and those that would be retained in the implementation of the new project. After the evaluation is complete, the research team will devise a replacement methodology of the flawed aspects of the system. Owing to the fact that the current system has failed to prove its efficacy in neutralizing the problem in this discussion, the elimination of the provisions it maintains is influential. Feedback from the nurses would be required to determine the negative impacts of this changes and the people implementing the project would make the necessary amendments in the proposed projects to capture the concerns of the personnel.
A feasibility study will be conducted to determine the economic efficiency of the implementation of this approach. The research team will visit the providers of the medical equipment and make inquiries about the pricing of the tools to be used in the facilitation of this program. The feedback received from the company would be compared with the current budget and the external funding from sponsor organizations. Once the project is determined to be feasible and compliant with ethical medical practices, the implementation process will commence. A phased changeover methodology would be used. This initiative would minimize the negative effects of poor integration of the nurses with the new system (Day, Fildes, Gordon, Fitzharris, Flamer & Lord, 2002). As such, it would give a longer time for training the personnel on how to utilize these equipment among the patient population. Each department would be allocated with a specific type of fall management tool. The delirious patients from the ICU will be given the primary priority in the allocation of these tools. Finally, the feedback from the nurses would be collected after a period.
Results
Impact to the nursing career
The implementation of this project will have a constructive impact on the nursing career. Precisely, the instances of patient falls would be reduced due to the support provided by the tools utilized in the implementation of this procedure. For instance, smart beds would automatically send the patient’s diagnostics to the nurses who do not need to be in the same location as the patients. Additionally, the U-step walking stabilizer would make it lesser challenging for the nurses to monitor the patient movements. As such, instances of fall would be reduced due to the support provided by these tools. The electronic systems integrated with these systems would make it easier for the medical institutions to link the results generated by the support tools with the central servers. Consequently, the diagnosis of the patient’s health status and issuance of proper medication would be made easier for the nurses. These improvements would make the nursing career more fulfilling than it currently is.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the increase in the number of falls among delirious patients in the ICU is alarming. As a result, there is a need to implement proper intervention measures to deal with the current problems. Lack thereof would jeopardize the overall effectiveness of the medical department and compromise the safety of these patients. Utilization of mechanical technology is the most influential approach in the neutralization of this issue. The equipment proposed by the utilization of technology enhances not only the safety of the patient’s but also the productivity of the nurses in offering medical care. The nursing career will receive positive feedback with the utilization of the provisions specified through this approach. Therefore, organizations should consider the implementation of the procedure above in dealing with the current issue.
References
Day, L., Fildes, B., Gordon, I., Fitzharris, M., Flamer, H., & Lord, S. (2002). Randomised factorial trial of falls prevention among older people living in their own homes. Bmj, 325(7356), 128.
Lamb, S. E., Jørstad‐Stein, E. C., Hauer, K., & Becker, C. (2005). Development of a common outcome data set for fall injury prevention trials: the Prevention of Falls Network Europe consensus. Journal of the American Geriatric.
World Health Organization. Ageing, & Life Course Unit. (2008). WHO global report on falls prevention in older age. World Health Organization.
