Full Answer Section

Research Question:

For the nursing and ancillary support primary care clinic staff (P), how does the implementation of a fall risk management protocol (I) compared to current practice (C) affect the fall rates (O) over 12 weeks (T)?

Hypotheses:

• H1: Compared to current practice, implementing a fall risk management protocol will lead to a significant reduction in fall rates in primary care clinics over 12 weeks.
• H2: The use of a fall risk management protocol will be associated with increased staff knowledge and confidence in identifying and managing fall risks.

Methods:

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two groups:

• Intervention Group: Nurses and ancillary staff receive training on a standardized fall risk management protocol and utilize it for 12 weeks.
• Control Group: Nurses and ancillary staff continue with current practice for 12 weeks.

Participants:

• Inclusion criteria: Adult patients (age ≥ 65) attending the primary care clinic for any reason.
• Exclusion criteria: Patients with cognitive impairment that interferes with their ability to participate in the study.

Data Collection:

• Primary Outcome: Number of falls occurring in each group during the 12-week intervention period. Data will be collected from incident reports and medical records.
• Secondary Outcomes:
  • Staff knowledge and confidence in identifying and managing fall risks, assessed through pre- and post-intervention surveys.
  • Patient perceptions of safety and fall prevention efforts, gathered through surveys.
  • Healthcare costs associated with falls, analyzed from medical records.

Data Analysis:

• Primary Outcome: Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test will compare fall rates between groups.
• Secondary Outcomes: Paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests will analyze changes in staff knowledge and confidence scores. Descriptive statistics will summarize patient perceptions and cost data.

Ethical Considerations:

• Informed consent will be obtained from all participants.
• Patient confidentiality will be maintained throughout the study.
• The study will be approved by an Institutional Review Board.

Dissemination:

Findings will be disseminated through:

• Peer-reviewed publications
• Presentations at scientific conferences
• Workshops for healthcare professionals

Timeline:

• Month 1-3: Develop protocol, obtain IRB approval, recruit participants.
• Month 4-9: Implement intervention, collect data.
• Month 10-12: Analyze data, write manuscript.
• Month 13: Submit manuscript for publication, present findings at conferences.

Budget:

Funding will be sought from grants or internal funding sources to cover:

• Personnel costs
• Training materials
• Data collection and analysis costs
• Dissemination expenses

Conclusion:

This research proposal outlines a study to investigate the effectiveness of a fall risk management protocol in reducing falls in primary care clinics. By collecting robust data and employing rigorous methods, this study can contribute valuable evidence to inform fall prevention strategies and improve patient safety.