Awareness of fall prevention strategies among Nurses caring for older Adults
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68041/jbpt.v2i2/06Keywords:
Fall prevention, older adults, nurses, awareness, patient safety, geriatric care, fall risk assessmentAbstract
Background: Falls are one of the most common events that impact the older adult population and can lead to morbidity, mortality, longer hospital stays and lower quality of life. This study aimed to find the level of knowledge about fall prevention strategies of nurses caring for older people and to identify factors associated with their knowledge of fall prevention strategies. Methodology: A cross sectional study (n=140) used non-probability sampling technique (convenience sampling) for selection of participants. The socio-demographic characteristics, professional experiences, training history, and fall prevention strategies awareness were collected through a structured self-administered questionnaire after an informed consent. Fall risk assessment, assistive devices use, medications risks, environmental safety, and patient education were the areas of awareness (SPSS version 26.0, p-value<0.05). Descriptive statistical analysis, Chi-square test, Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression was done. Results: The mean awareness score was found to be 81.3 ± 10.4. There were significant positive correlations between years of professional experience (r = 0.42, p < 0.001), level of education (r = 0.31, p < 0.001), and number of training sessions attended (r = 0.53, p < 0.001) and awareness scores. Multiple regression analysis revealed that attendance at training (B (0.39); p<0.001), years of professional experience (B (0.27); p=0.003) and education level (B(0.21); p=0.012) were significant predictors. Conclusion: The overall knowledge of fall prevention measures among older adults among the nurses was satisfactory. In the context of the increment of awareness, participation in training, level of professional experience, and higher educational qualifications were pertinent.
References
1. Chen Y, Dai F, Huang S, Qi D, Peng C, Zhang A, et al. Global, regional, and national burden of falls among older adults: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 and Projections to 2040. NPJ Aging. 2025 Oct 9;11(1):85. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41514-025-00275-4
2. Khan HTA, Addo KM, Findlay H. Public Health Challenges and Responses to the Growing Ageing Populations. Public Health Chall. 2024 Jul 21;3(3):e213. https://doi.org/10.1002/puh2.213
3. Wang L, Mi Y, Zhu X, Liu Z, Liu J, Zhao C, et al. Global, regional, and National burden of falls among midlife women from 1990 to 2021 and projections to 2050: A systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2021. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2025 Nov 14;37(1):324. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-025-03210-5
4. Locklear T, Kontos J, Brock CA, Holland AB, Hemsath R, Deal A, et al. Inpatient Falls: Epidemiology, Risk Assessment, and Prevention Measures. A Narrative Review. HCA Healthc J Med. 2024 Oct 1;5(5):517-525. https://doi.org/10.36518/2689-0216.1982
5. Rahmadani F, Alshamsi FY, Almazrouei B, Hanaya Alsuwaidi A, Alhammadi M, Simsekler MCE. Streamlining Patient Fall Prevention and Management Through Human-Centered AI-Based Decision Support Systems. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2025 Sep 16;18:3051-3062. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S516070
6. Patrician PA, Campbell CM, Javed M, Williams KM, Foots L, Hamilton WM, et al. Quality and Safety in Nursing: Recommendations From a Systematic Review. J Healthc Qual. 2024 Jul-Aug 01;46(4):203-219. https://doi.org/10.1097/JHQ.0000000000000430
7. Pillay J, Gaudet LA, Saba S, Vandermeer B, Ashiq AR, Wingert A, et al. Falls prevention interventions for community-dwelling older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of benefits, harms, and patient values and preferences. Syst Rev. 2024 Nov 26;13(1):289. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-024-02681-3
8. Lewis SR, McGarrigle L, Pritchard MW, Bosco A, Yang Y, Gluchowski A, et al. Population-based interventions for preventing falls and fall-related injuries in older people. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024 Jan 5;1(1):CD013789. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD013789
9. Garcia A, Bjarnadottir RRI, Keenan GM, Macieira TGR. Nurses' Perceptions of Recommended Fall Prevention Strategies: A Rapid Review. J Nurs Care Qual. 2022 Jul-Sep 01;37(3):249-256. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000605
10. Alsaad SM, Alabdulwahed M, Rabea NM, Tharkar S, Alodhayani AA. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Nurses toward Risk Factors and Prevention of Falls in Older Adult Patients in a Large-Sized Tertiary Care Setting. Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Feb 14;12(4):472. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12040472
11. Clemson L, Stark S, Pighills AC, Fairhall NJ, Lamb SE, Ali J, et al. Environmental interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Mar 10;3(3):CD013258. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD013258
12. Lewis SR, Griffin XL. Preventing falls in older people: the evidence for environmental interventions and why history matters. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Mar 10;3(3):ED000162. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.ED000162
13. Sherrington C, Fairhall NJ, Wallbank GK, Tiedemann A, Michaleff ZA, Howard K, et al. Exercise for preventing falls in older people living in the community. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Jan 31;1(1):CD012424. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012424
14. Turner K, Staggs VS, Potter C, Cramer E, Shorr RI, Mion LC. Fall Prevention Practices and Implementation Strategies: Examining Consistency Across Hospital Units. J Patient Saf. 2022 Jan 1;18(1):e236-e242. https://doi.org/10.1097/PTS.0000000000000758
15. Miao T, Chen K, Zhao Y, Han D, Duan L, Gu H, et al. Factors influencing the self-awareness of falls in hospitalized older adults: a Q method study. Front Public Health. 2026 Jan 14;13:1728695. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1728695
16. Tana C, Di Risio A, Moffa S, Gallo C, di Nardo R, Palmieri M, et al. Perceived knowledge and attitudes toward fall prevention among nurses and healthcare assistants: a Cross-Sectional survey study. Ann Med. 2025 Dec;57(1):2559127. https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2025.2559127
17. Cho MY, Jang SJ. Nurses' knowledge, attitude, and fall prevention practices at south Korean hospitals: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Nurs. 2020 Nov 24;19(1):108. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-020-00507-w
18. Innab AM. Nurses' perceptions of fall risk factors and fall prevention strategies in acute care settings in Saudi Arabia. Nurs Open. 2022 Mar;9(2):1362-1369. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1182
19. Albasha N, Ahern L, O'Mahony L, McCullagh R, Cornally N, McHugh S, et al. Implementation strategies to support fall prevention interventions in long-term care facilities for older persons: a systematic review. BMC Geriatr. 2023 Jan 25;23(1):47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-03738-z
20. Albasha N, Alreshood S, Alolayan B, Alreemi R, Aljaber R, Albelaihed T, et al. Assessing physical therapists' knowledge in fall prevention among older adults in Saudi arabia: a cross-sectional study. BMC Geriatr. 2025 Dec 8;25(1):1002. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-025-06668-0
21. Algudairi GM, Alrashed AM. Fall prevention among older adults in KSA: Role of physical therapy. J Taibah Univ Med Sci. 2024 Dec 10;19(6):1193-1201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtumed.2024.12.006
22. Dyer SM, Kwok WS, Suen J, Dawson R, Kneale D, Sutcliffe K, et al. Interventions for preventing falls in older people in care facilities. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2025 Aug 20;8(8):CD016064. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD016064
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Kiran Khalid, Mahnoor Khan, Momina Rehmat (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Journal of Biomolecules, Pathogenesis and Therapeutics (JBPT) follows the Attribution Creative Commons-Non commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license which allows the users to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, remix, transform and build upon the material. The users must give credit to the source and indicate, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. However, the CC BY-NC 4.0 license restricts the use of material for commercial purposes (Further details are available at website. The Editorial Board of the JBPT endeavors to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and quality of all published content. However, the responsibility of opinions, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in the published articles rests entirely with the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board, publisher, or affiliated institutions.
