Revising and evaluating the Safe Recovery fall prevention education program with patients and staff in a hospital rehabilitation setting: A mixed methods study

ABSTRACT Background Providing patients with falls prevention education can improve their overall safety and reduce their risk of falling in hospital. Partnering with patients and staff in developing and evaluating such programs could better enable patient learning and translation of safety messages. Aim To create a revised version of the Safe Recovery falls prevention education program (SRP) in partnership with patients and hospital allied health staff, to improve patient engagement in undertaking strategies to reduce their risk of falling in hospital. Methods Two-phase sequential mixed methods participatory design. In phase 1 patient (n=10) and staff (n=10) consumer engagement surveys and discussions were undertaken to inform program revision. New resources (video and workbook) were co-produced and staff were trained to deliver the revised program to patients. In phase 2 patients (n=10) were surveyed pre and post revised program delivery and staff were surveyed regarding their reaction to the revised program. Deductive content analysis and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests were used respectively to analyse qualitative and quantitative findings. Results Patients and staff were very satisfied with the revised program, with patients demonstrating significant improvements in knowledge, awareness, motivation and intention to reduce their risk of falling. Staff perceived that the revised resources showed significant improvements in aesthetic appeal and ability to engage patients in learning. Conclusion Patients and staff contributed to successfully revising the Safe Recovery program with positive reactions to the co-produced resources. Participating in the revised program significantly improved patients’ knowledge and attitudes to reduce their risk of falling. Investigating the impact of the revised program on patients’ behaviour change and on reducing hospital falls is warranted.