Nursing interventions for the prevention of falls in elderly individuals: a scoping review

Falls, which have negative effects on functional independence and quality of life in elderly individuals, are closely related to increased morbidity, mortality and health-related costs. The aim of this scoping review is to synthesise the current available information on nursing interventions for falls in elderly individuals and to provide a practical resource mapping for health professionals. Searches were queried using a combination of the keywords "falls in the elderly", "falls prevention" and "nursing intervention in falls prevention", including PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, Medline and Google Scholar. The review included only English-language studies published in the last 5 years (between 2018 and 2023). All study types were assessed, including systematic reviews, case studies and clinical guidelines. As a result of the review, eleven relevant studies were selected and these were grouped under five main themes. The themes have been determined as assessing the elderly individual (identifying the individual at risk) (1), performing periodic examination/monitoring (2), making the environment safer (3), improving the self-efficacy/self-care of the elderly individual (4) and informing/educating (patient/family/caregiver/nurse) (5). According to the studies analysed, falls are important problems in elderly individuals and with a series of measures to be taken, individuals at risk can be identified and the size and number of injuries can be reduced. Protecting the health of the elderly and preventing injuries is one of the most important duties of all healthcare professionals, and some nursing interventions can contribute to the prevention and reduction of falls in elderly individuals.