Nurses’ adherence to a fall prevention protocol

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the association between nurses’ adherence to a fall prevention protocol and demographic, professional and self-efficacy variables. Method: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from 23 nurses at a university hospital in Cuiabá, using a self-efficacy questionnaire and the Perceived and General Self-Efficacy Scale. The nurses’ adherence to the fall prevention protocol was measured by checking the number of fall risk assessment records in the nurses’ records within 24 hours of patient admission. Results: participant mean age was 37.56 years and 91.3% were female, with an average of 11.43 years of training; 39.13% of the nurses adhered to the protocol and nurses’ adherence differed significantly between units (p = 0.006). Conclusion: an association was found between nurses’ adherence to a fall prevention protocol and the units where they worked. The characteristics of patients admitted to these units may have influenced adherence.