Fall and Injury Risk Assessment Is More Than a Score

Presented by Pat Quigley

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Rehabilitation nurses have expert clinical knowledge to determine a patient’s fall and injury risk status. This session will build upon current practices and processes to move practice beyond the use of a fall risk score to assessment of multifactorial fall risk factors. Participants will be guided in the assessment of select fall and injury risk factors (postural hypotension, lower extremity sensory neuropathy, fracture risk) as examples of the the difference between a fall risk screening and an assessment as the basis for individualized fall patient care planning. The information will allow the participants to understand the implications of modifying their practice and implementing patient-centered individualized care plans to reduce falls and fall-related injuries.

Meet your instructor

Pat Quigley

Dr. Patricia Quigley, PhD, MPH, APRN, CRRN, FAAN, FAANP, Nurse Consultant, is a retired Associate Director of the VISN 8 Patient Safety Research Center of Inquiry and is both a Clinical Nurse Specialist and a Nurse Practitioner in Rehabilitation. Her contributions to patient safety, nursing, and rehabilitation are evident…

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Chapters & learning objectives

Evidence to Support Multifactorial Fall and Injury Risk Factors

1. Evidence to Support Multifactorial Fall and Injury Risk Factors

Within healthcare organizations, fall risk determination is underestimated because of an over-reliance on the use of fall risk screening tools that generate a score and then universal fall precautions. This chapter builds upon best practice to engage rehabilitation nurses in multifactorial fall and injury risk assessment as the basis for individualized fall and injury prevention plans of care.

Enhancing Clinical Assessment of Fall Risk Factors

2. Enhancing Clinical Assessment of Fall Risk Factors

National guidelines serve as the foundation to reaffirm rehabilitation nurses’ vital role in using clinical assessment and decision-making skills to determine fall and injury risk factors and integrate findings into interdisciplinary care planning. Select fall risk factors will be featured during this session as examples of the importance of developing nurses’ clinical knowledge and skills.

Clinical Practice Demonstration

3. Clinical Practice Demonstration

The examination of clinical practice skills generates opportunities to verify accuracy and competency of care. Often, variations in practice are found that should not occur, or risk factors are omitted from current assessment that deserve priority inclusion in the fall and injury risk assessment policies. This session offers rehabilitation nurses live demonstration of clinical assessment of the fall and injury risk factors in practice: history taking, physical exam, risk factor determination, individualized interdisciplinary care referral, and planning.