Fall Risk Assessment Paper

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Morse Fall Risk Assessment Tool in Acute Care Settings Name Institution Date Morse Fall Risk Assessment Tool in Acute Care Settings Introduction Falls among patients account for a significant portion of injuries in hospitals. The literature on fall-related injuries and falls in acute care is extensive but involves mainly quality improvement reports and expert opinion (Dykes, Carroll & Hurley et al. 2010). There is inconsistent evidence on the effect of standardized interventions that are meant to limit falls in acute care settings. Patients’ variability in risk factors of fall could be the reason for lack of effect, as well as the fact there can only effective interventions if made to tackle particular, individual needs…show more content…
The tool aids nurses in tailoring interventions of prevention based on the needs of individual patients (Emily, SitiZubaidahMordiffi, Wong, Kamala & David, 2007). Besides assisting nurses in documentation and making decisions, Morse Fall Risk Assessment Tool facilitates retrieval of data for research and quality improvement. However, it is necessary to highlight the nature of falls that are this tool can assess (Dykes, Carroll & Hurley et al. 2010). According to Janice Morse, founder of Morse Fall Assessment Tool, a fall is a sudden, unintentional, uncontrolled, downward displacement of the body to the other objects or ground, excluding falls that result from purposeful actions or violent blows. A near fall, on the other hand, is an abrupt balance loss leading to injury or a fall (Murphy, Labonte, Klock & Houser, 2008). It can include someone stumbling, slipping or tripping, but regain control before falling. Un-witnessed fall is where the patient is found on the ground, and neither anyone else nor the patient knows how they…show more content…
Risk assessment process can be done reliably despite the alterations in personnel and time advances. Janice Morse recommends that the high-risk score be calibrated based on the population of patients and acceptable rate of fall (Morse, 1986). Pros and Cons of Morse Fall Risk Assessment Tool Morse Fall Risk Assessment Tool is widely used due to the advantages associated with it, resulting into the effectiveness of the tool. It is driven by research, and interventions are often standardized by the level of risk. It also focuses interventions on defined areas of risks (Morse, 1986). It is also easy to determine the level of risk of someone since all the risk factors groups all patients as high-risk. It categorizes patients into high-risk, moderate-risk, and low-risk. However, some of the demerits that come with the use of the tool are the fact that it is not designed for long-term care setting, putting all patients at high risk (Morse, 1986). The effectiveness of Morse Fall Risk Assessment Tool is, sometimes, limited because it does not capture all risks. While it has ratings of zero for patients using wheelchairs, other studies, facilities have indicated that these patients are also at risk of falling (Dykes, Carroll, Hurley, Benoit & Middleton,

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