Hendrich Fall Risk Model 2

Article I. The article published by Ivziku, Matarese, Pedone (2011) was a literature review to evaluate the predictive validity and inter-rater reliability of Hendrich fall risk model II (HFRM II).The literature focused on ways to identify older patients at risk of falling in geriatric units with the implementation of the HFRM II and recommend its use in clinical practice. A prospective descriptive design was used. The study was carried out in a geriatric acute care unit of an Italian University hospital. The patoients that were admitted to the geriatric unit were 65 in an Italian University hospital over 8-month period were enrolled. The patients enrolled were screened for the falls risk by nurses with the HFRM II within 24h of admission.

The second article that was reviewed came for National Guideline Clearing house (NGC, 2012). The methods used to analyze the evidence were review of published meta-analyses and systematic review. The major outcomes considered in the study were sensitivity, specificity, and reliability of screening tools, risk factors for falls and fall rates. There were numerous recommendations that were recommended to reduce and prevent falls among the elderly population. However the best practice in fall reduction includes falls risk assessment , visual identification of individuals at high risk for falls , falls risk directed interventions and standardized multifactorial education including visual tools for staff, families, and patients (NGC, 2012). In order to have an effective falls prevention program a multifactorial approach will yield better results. Clinical practice guidelines from the United States and Canada both recommend patient education as a part of falls prevention (NGC, 2012). Patients have benefited significantly from patient education program because falls have been reduced based on the delivery methods that were used. For patients with no cognitive impairment the resources used were used included written education regarding falls data and causes of falls, self-assessment of risk, problem area identification, development of preventive strategies and behaviors, goal setting and review along with video/DVD material highlighting these same points and then

The international research has not identified one optimal fall risk assessment tool for the acute care settings, and in particular for elderly inpatients Ivziku, Matarese, Pedone (2011). The research main aim was to contribute to the search for a valid and reliable risk assessment tool by evaluating the predictive validity of the HFRM II in a geriatric unit. The validity as it relates to the PICOT questions was definitely accurate. HFRM II is quick to calculate, the data can be collected simply, tool is easy to apply, and has good sensitivity but low specificity. This tool we can be recommended to be used routinely to assess the fall risk in long term care facilities. A comparison was not done with other fall risk assessment tools to evaluate the different discriminative power and the effectiveness of different tools. A comparison with other tools would be useful to verify the power of other risk factors and tools in the geriatric population.

Fall prevention and assessments recommended by National Guidelines Clearinghouse should include a fall risk assessment especially if the patient has a history of falls. A functional assessment test was also recommended to visually observe the patient 's mobility for those not confined to bed