Banca de DEFESA: GISELLE KARINE MUNIZ DE MELO

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : GISELLE KARINE MUNIZ DE MELO
DATE: 28/12/2025
TIME: 14:30
LOCAL: Online
TITLE:

IMPROVEMENT CYCLE FOR FALL PREVENTION IN HOSPITALIZED ELDERLY PEOPLE

KEY WORDS:

Aged; Accidental Falls; Patient Safety; Quality of Health Care.

PAGES: 27
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Saúde Coletiva
SUMMARY:

Introduction: Aging is an irreversible physiological process that increases vulnerability to diseases and adverse events such as falls. The Brazilian elderly population is growing rapidly, posing challenges for public health and hospital care. Falls among hospitalized older adults are frequent, cause morbidity, mortality, and psychological impacts, and demand effective preventive strategies. Implementing international safety goals and identifying risk factors contribute to reducing these events. Quality improvement cycles allow the integration of evidence-based practices, promoting safety and active surveillance in elderly care. Objective: To develop a quality improvement cycle for fall prevention among hospitalized older adults in a public hospital in Northeastern Brazil. Methodology: This quasi-experimental before-and-after study with a quantitative approach was conducted from October 2024 to August 2025, following the Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence 2.0 (SQUIRE). Thirty elderly patients hospitalized in the Orthopedic Clinic of a university hospital were observed before and 30 after interventions aimed at fall prevention. Five quality criteria were defined based on ANVISA and institutional protocols, and quality improvement tools were applied. Interventions included daily risk assessment, standardization of nursing care, proper signaling, and education for patients, families, and staff. Conformities were analyzed using absolute and relative frequencies, 95% confidence intervals, and chi-square test (p ≤ 0.05). Results: After the intervention, significant improvement was observed in all five criteria. Daily fall risk assessment with the Morse Scale (C1) increased from 0% to 100% compliance (p < 0.001). Nursing prescription regarding patient/family education (C5) improved by 70%, and nursing prescription regarding companion guidance (C4) by 63% (both p < 0.001). Execution of safety measures—locked bed and raised side rails (C2)—showed a 27% improvement, and proper visual signaling and wristband for high fall risk (C3) improved by 23% (p < 0.05). Overall, nonconformities decreased by 74%. Conclusions: The implementation of a quality improvement cycle significantly increased adherence to fall prevention practices, reducing care-related risks. These findings highlight the relevance of continuous interventions to strengthen the safety culture for hospitalized older adults.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Interna - 2262871 - ANA ELZA OLIVEIRA DE MENDONCA
Externa à Instituição - SUSANA CECAGNO - UFPel
Presidente - 2330137 - VILANI MEDEIROS DE ARAUJO NUNES
Interna - ***.321.701-** - VIVIANE PEIXOTO DOS SANTOS PENNAFORT - UECE