Comparison of Morse Fall Scale to Medicare Fall Risk Assessment Tool

Comparison of Morse Fall Scale to Medicare Fall Risk Assessment Tool
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Comparison of Morse Fall Scale to Medicare Fall Risk Assessment Tool
Falls and fall-related injuries continue to be major problems among the elderly, particularly those living in Long Term Care Facilities (LTCF). According to Gringauz et al. (2017), falling is a common occurrence among patients during their hospital stay and it has both financial and clinical outcomes for the healthcare organization. Falls, therefore, mean a strain on the institution's resources, including financial and human resources. According to Bagui et al. (2019), the rate of inpatient falls stands at 3-5 per 1000 inpatient days while about a third of all patient falls leads to injury, including death. Falls are associated with not only an increase in hospital stay but also the cost of care for the patient (Bagui et al., 2019). Furthermore, about 30% of individuals aged over 65 and half of those aged above 80 experience a fall at least once per year (Bóriková et al., 2018). In LTCF, the falls rate is thrice as much as in the community of seniors, with of older adults in the facilities experiencing at least a fall every year (Bóriková et al., 2018). Apart from the strain on resources, some of the consequences associated with falls include functional decline, loss of independence, injury, pain, distress, and fear of falling. Falls, therefore, pose a significant health challenge that health practitioners must address. Falls assessments tools play a vital role in the identification of the specific risk factors associated with falls and their predictive validity determines to a great extent the rate of falls in a particular healthcare facility. In this regard, this project seeks to compare Morse Fall Scale (MFS) to Medicare Fall Risk Assessment tool among elderly people in a LTCF and consequently develop recommendations to reduce falls and falls-related injuries.
Fall prevention and a better evaluation of the risks factors for falls will go a long way in improving the quality of care offered by LTCF. Understanding the risks factors associated with falls in the LFTC is key to developing relevant and effective preventive strategies. An improvement in the prevention of falls means not only reduced healthcare costs but also a reduction in the impact of the consequences associated with falls. A comparison of MFS to the Medicare Fall Risk Assessment tool will yield an understanding of which tool is better in predicting high-risk residents as well the key risk factors associated with falls among the elderly in the facility. A clear understanding of the fall risk factors in the facility based on the more efficient tool will be integral in developing improvement interventions tailored towards reducing falls incidents. It is important to recognize that an assessment tool can guide the allocation of resources towards the prevention of falls in a facility. Therefore, an improved prediction of the incidences of falls in a facility allows for the optimal allocation of resources.
The purpose of the project is to determine the better tool between MFS and Medicare Medicare Fall Risk Assessment in predicting the residents with the highest ri...