The Relevance of the Articles’ Findings to Making Decisions to Address the PICOT Question

Research findings by Subermaniam et al. (2017) and Johnson (205) show that bed absence detectors are more effective than safety/hourly rounds in preventing or reducing falls among hospitalized geriatric patients during their stay in healthcare facilities. The researchers’ study results indicate that clinicians or healthcare organization administrators should prioritize bed absence sensors over safety/hourly rounds when making decisions regarding strategies to prevent or minimize falls among patients during their hospital stay. However, it is vital to note that Johnson’s (2015) findings indicate that safety/hourly rounds have a significant potential to prevent or mitigate patient falls, but nurse-related factors, such as staffing shortages and inadequate time, reduce their fall prevention effectiveness. Healthcare practitioners and facility managers can leverage Johnson’s (2015) research outcomes to formulate and implement policies that address nurse concerns and nurse-related issues, such as staffing shortages and lack of enthusiasm, which diminish safety/hourly rounds’ falls aversion efficacy. Undoubtedly, with adequate nursing staff and motivated nurses, safety/hourly rounds could be as effective as bed absence sensors in preventing falls among patients during their hospital stay. Conclusion Overall, high patient fall incidents and elevated fall-related mortality rates among hospitalized patients have prompted healthcare facilities and clinicians to take preventive measures, such as conducting safety/hourly rounds and using bed absence detectors, to mitigate falls among patients during their stay in medical care facilities. Although falls are prevalent among patients of all ages, their incidence and mortality rates are higher among older patients than any other age group. Hence, the PICOT question that this paper aimed to answer was,