Effectiveness of an educational intervention on improving knowledge level of Chinese registered nurses on prevention of falls in hospitalized older people - A randomized controlled trial

Falls are highly prevalent in hospitalized older people. Although many factors contribute to this, registered nurses (RNs) lack of knowledge about how to prevent hospitalized older people falls was identified as one of the major factors. This study explored the effects of an educational intervention on improving knowledge level of RNs on prevention of falls in hospitalized older people. It was a randomized controlled trial. 374 RNs from 4 acute care hospitals in ChongQing were recruited to the study. Data were collected before the intervention and at the 3-month follow-up. After the intervention, knowledge scores increased significantly from baseline in the intervention group and significant differences were detected between the scores of the two groups at the 3-month follow-up. The results reflected that the educational intervention was an effective strategy for improving knowledge level of RNs on prevention of falls in hospitalized older people.