There is no use denying the fact that nowadays people have the best quality of life the world has ever seen. A great number of various scientific discoveries and new technologies lead to the significant increase of the level of comfort available for people and introduce many new possibilities for the further progress. It is quite obvious that in the age of progress great attention is also given to the healthcare sector as it is one of the main factors which has the great impact on the quality and length of the life of a person. However, even in terms of the great scientific progress, people are not protected from some accident that could deteriorate their life significantly. Working in the healthcare sector, I witnessed the situation when a person, who had recovered from the serious disease with the help of the newest and modern treatment, returned to the hospital because of the accident. Having fallen, he became injured and was not able to recover, being doomed to spend the rest of his life in the bed. This accident determined the choice of my clinical question which is “Does the implementation of assessment tools and interventions decrease the frequency of falls and injuries sustained amongst those individuals aged 65 years and older during their hospital stay?”
Describing my feelings at that moment, it is vital to mention two points. First of all, looking at this very man, I realized that the modern medicine managed to guarantee his recovery and helped him to win the fight against the serious disease. The man was treated with the help of the newest medicines and it was one of the guarantees of success. However, looking at this man after the accident, I felt great bitterness and helplessness, realizing that all these efforts were not able to protect the patient from some simple accident resulting in a serious injury and significant deterioration of his life. The combination of these strong feelings made me think about this issue and reconsider my approach towards the accidents and falls which happened to individuals aged 65 years and older.
It is obvious that the above-mentioned situation is horrible. The worst moment of it was the fact that this patient was expected to live the rest of his life without some serious health problems. Having managed to recover from the serious disease, he was also sure that the worst period of his life has passed and he would enjoy his anility. However, the accident, which happened without a reason, destroyed all his plans and made all previous efforts, aimed at the improvement of the quality of the life, useless. Thus, even under these conditions, it is possible to outline some positive point of the situation as it made me think about the issue of falls and the possibility to decrease their frequency. This situation became the stimulus for my involvement in the given question.
Besides, analyzing the given situation, it is possible to outline several important points. First of all, the given accident could be taken as the best evidence for the statement that no one is protected from the accident and could suffer from the aftermath of fall. Secondly, it is vital to remember that these falls have the great impact on elderly people, very often resulting in some serious injuries that lead to significant deterioration of the quality of life of a person or even death (Minimising the Risk of Falls & Fall-related Injuries 2004). Finally, along with the implementation of new technologies in the functioning of the healthcare sector, it is vital to create the assessment tools which could protect people from the accidents of this sort.
With this in mind, it is possible to make a certain conclusion. It is obvious, that I was not able to prevent the patients fall and protect his health. Additionally this accident was a real shock for me. However, it influenced reconsideration of my approaches and vision of the situation. The necessity of the creation of some assessment tool which could protect elderly people from the accidents of this sort became obvious. People aged 65 and older are characterized by the lowering of attention and coordination, that is why, some remedy to protect them should be introduced.
Action plan
Having outlined the situation which influenced the choice of the research question and determined the facts, which also have the great impact on the quality of life of people, it is possible to create a certain action plan that could decrease the frequency of falls in the workplace. The fact is that not only elderly people are subjected to accidents and falls. According to statistics, young and middle-aged people very often get injured because of various falls and accidents (Degelau et al. 2012). The only difference is that the general state of their organisms allows them to recover faster and continue their functioning (Falls in older people: assessing risk and prevention 2013). However, in case of some serious falls, the life of these groups of people could also become worse or they could even die. With this in mind, it is possible to say that the implementation of a certain assessment tool is necessary to reduce the number of accidents and improve the quality of life of people. Additionally, the level of the job security could also be increased by the creation of a certain action plan that is aimed at the implementation of certain measures to prevent falls.
With this in mind, it is possible to outline several processes and stages which are required to improve the level of job security and could be taken as the part of a certain action plan. First of all, the analysis of the main threats, which exist in a certain workplace, should be accomplished. It is possible to say that any hospital is a very dangerous place with a great number of various risk factors (Preventing Falls in Hospitals n.d.). There are many objects that could do harm to a patient in case of emergency. Moreover, various medical equipment could also be dangerous and lead to some injuries. Finally, the necessity to follow the hygiene norms and wet floors are also some of the risk factors. Thus, having accomplished the analysis of all potential threats, it is vital to create the plan which could help to minimize them and reduce the possibility of the appearance of some accident. To achieve this purpose, the most probable variants should be analyzed and the remedies to prevent them outlined. Additionally, another important requirement is the obligatory adherence to the practices outlined in the previous stage. Workers and patients should be informed about the main rules of safe behavior and carefully follow them.
Thus, it is obvious, that there will be some obstacles which should be overcome in order to make the given tool efficient enough to protect the life of patients. First of all, it could be difficult to outline and analyze all potential threats and risk factors which exist in the healthcare setting. The fact is that this environment constantly changes and it is difficult to adapt to it. With this in mind, it is possible to say, that the analysis of all threats could be rather challenging. Additionally, another problem could appear in the process of the implementation of some practices to the functioning of the hospital. Patients and even some workers might have an uncensorious attitude towards the new practices, being sure in their ability to protect themselves and avoid some accident. That is why, it is vital to explain the necessity of these practices and show the advantages of the implementation of this action plan. The accident which influenced the appearance of this idea could be used as the example. Finally, some extra financing should be devoted to the development of this assessment tool and implementation of the outlined practices.
Nevertheless, speaking about the necessity to inform people about the importance of the given issue, it is impossible not mention the communication strategies which could be used while implementing these practices. That is why, it is important to create the efficient strategic communication plan to be able to achieve the needed result. Communication should start from some managerial positions and they should be explained the necessity and importance of the given issue (Shea 2011). Thus, they should be given the task to inform the rest of the workers of their department and assure that the information will be accepted and understood. Finally, workers could also be informed with the help of various remedies which exist in any hospital. The communication system of the organization could be used to communicate with the staff. Additionally, various call-boards could be used to help people realize the importance of the issue. Patients should also be included in the communication process. Workers of the hospital have to inform them about the main rules of behavior in the hospital and the existing risks. Only in terms of the functioning of the efficient communication system, the progress could be achieved.
However, speaking about the implementation of the remedy which is optimized for the communication with people, it is impossible not to take into account the cultural and ethical aspect of the given issue. It is obvious, that it is not aimed at the limitation of the freedom of movement of patient or workers, as it could be taken by some of them. Being created in order to improve and protect the quality of their lives, the given remedy should not be taken belligerently and people should be explained the main aim and benefits of the given issue.
With this in mind, it is possible to make a certain conclusion. It is possible to say that the process of change, initiated in order to increase the level of job security, could be rather complicated and demand various leadership strategies and skills from the managers (Quigley et al. 2007). They should be ready to change the existing pattern and introduce the new one even in terms of some challenges and problems that might appear. However, it could have the great impact on the quality of life of people and help to protect it.
Reference List
Degelau, J, Belz, M, Bungum, L, Flavin, P, Harper, C, Leys, K, Lundquist, L, & Webb, B 2012, Prevention of Falls (Acute Care). Web.
Falls in older people: assessing risk and prevention 2013. Web.
Minimising the Risk of Falls & Fall-related Injuries 2004. Web.
Preventing Falls in Hospitals n.d. Web.
Quigley, P, Neily, J, Watson, M, Wright, M, & Strobel, K 2007, ‘Measuring Fall Program Outcomes,’ The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, vol. 12, no. 2, n. pag. Web.
Shea, K 2011, Falls Prevention Strategy. Web.