Nursing and caring: Effective fall detection among senior citizens living at home

Abstract

Falls are common in older people and can cause significant health problems. The Western European area, which includes Norway, has one of the highest fall-related injury and mortality rates among older adults in the world. With a death rate of 2.8 percent and a case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.008, Norway is ranked second. This study describes nurses' and nurse assistants' perception of barriers in facilitating effective fall detection among older adults living at home. The research adopted the descriptive design and qualitative data collection to collect information from nurses and nurse assistants. Structured interviews were used to gather information and narratives developed from participants’’ responses. Based on the findings, the study reveals that nurses pose professional knowledge that cannot be generated from evidence-based research. By providing insights into the perception of nurses and nurse assistants in relation to fall prevention,this study can contribute to development of solutions from nurses’ professional knowledge that can be used for future fall prevention programs.