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Nurses’ perceptions of preventing falls for patients with dementia in the acute hospital setting
Author(s) -
Ayton Darshini,
O'Brien Penny,
Treml Jonathan,
Soh SzeEe,
Morello Renata,
Barker Anna
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
australasian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 1440-6381
DOI - 10.1111/ajag.12474
Subject(s) - dementia , medicine , acute hospital , acute care , focus group , nursing , commission , health care , perception , medical emergency , psychology , disease , business , finance , pathology , marketing , neuroscience , economics , economic growth
Objectives Safe and high‐quality care for patients with dementia is a key priority area of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care; however, caring for patients with dementia in the acute hospital setting is perceived as challenging. The aim of this analysis was to explore nurses’ perspectives regarding fall prevention for patients with dementia in an acute care setting. Methods Secondary analysis of focus group data. Focus groups were conducted with nurses ( n = 96) across six hospitals in New South Wales and Victoria. Results Nurses frequently reported issues relating to the physical environment of the acute care setting, competing priorities in a complex care setting and the need for one‐on‐one supervision for patients with dementia. Conclusion Nurses report that one‐on‐one supervision is required to keep patients safe. Future research examining the acceptability and cost‐effectiveness of volunteers providing this supervision is warranted in Australian hospitals.