Authors (including presenting author) :
Man KY(1), Wong SL(1), Wong LY(1), Leung KN(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Cardiothoracic Surgical Department, Queen Mary Hospital
Introduction :
Fall is always a hot topic in the hospital setting, therefore care plans and assessment tools were lounged to identify those high-risk & minimize patients' falls during hospitalization. However, there are some misconceptions about newly graduated nurses as they are clinically inexperienced, especially with lacking practicum during the pandemic. They learned the outline of the assessment tools, but sometimes found difficulties applying them in clinical settings due to some uncertainty.
Objectives :
This program aims at 1) to fill up the theory-practice gap of newly graduated nurses; 2) to emphasize the common mistakes and clear the grey area about fall risk assessment in own clinical setting; 3) to enhance the competency of newly graduated nurses in fall risk assessment; 4) to provide a more cohesive orientation program.
Methodology :
A group pre and post-test design were applied. 8 newly graduated nurses working in Cardiothoracic Surgical Department for less than 2 months were recruited through purposive sampling. Nurses were trained in mini-groups with 2 to 4 nurses per session. Training includes 1) a 15-minute introductory fall risk assessment educational video lounged by the hospital team. 2) Focused training session conducted by departmental fall prevention team to explore practice gap in own specialty setting. Patient characteristics, peri-operative risk factors & application gaps in surgical settings were discussed in focus. Commonly misunderstood assessment items in own surgical setting were also highlighted & clarified. Nurses were required to complete tests based on a 3-minute scenario video acted by ward colleagues for a competency evaluation. The outcomes were analyzed using paired t-test. A satisfaction survey was done for program improvement.
Result & Outcome :
There was a statistically significant improvement (P=0.006) in assessment accuracy and understanding of the tool with a mean score passing from 13.38 (SD=2.13) in the pre-test to 17.5 (SD=3.42) in the post-test (Full point=22). 88% of them could identify the high-risk patients in the surgical domain through performing accurate risk assessments at 1-month post-training intervals. 100% of trainees admitted that the video was impressive and raised their attention as it reflected clinical reality. The training program was rated as highly useful and informative, which could help them become confident & competent in fall risk evaluation. Conclusions: The education program was effective and efficient in enhancing graduated nurse knowledge in fall risk evaluation & prevention. Filling up the theory-practice gap, newly graduated nurses able to provide more precise risk-reducing interventions for high-risk patients in clinical settings. This strategic training could be included in the departmental nurse’s orientation training curriculum to nurture young minds to develop a safety culture & improve clinical safety as a whole.
