Status quo and innovative directions for inpatient fall interventions

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore nurses' experience of falls, and their perception of the status quo of inpatient fall interventions. Methods: The participants were 28 ward nurses in a university hospital, Seoul, Korea. Five focus group interviews and three individual interviews were conducted. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The findings from this study suggest that nurses face limitations in providing conventional fall interventions due to patient disease related characteristics, situations in hospital, and medical devices used in the hospital settings. Although nurses adopted their own strategies to prevent falls effectively, they expressed the need for innovative approaches to overcome these limitations. Conclusion: Systematic, technology-based approaches are needed to create a safer physical environment and to improve current nursing interventions to prevent falls.