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. 2018 Oct/Dec;33(4):326-333.
doi: 10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000319.

Fall Rates in Urban and Rural Nursing Units: Does Location Matter?

Marianne Baernholdt  1 , Ivora D Hinton, Guofen Yan, Wenjun Xin, Emily Cramer, Nancy Dunton
Affiliations

Fall Rates in Urban and Rural Nursing Units: Does Location Matter?

Marianne Baernholdt et al. J Nurs Care Qual. 2018 Oct/Dec.

Abstract

Patient falls remain a leading adverse event in hospitals. In a study of 65 rural hospitals with 222 nursing units and 560 urban hospitals with 4274 nursing units, we found that geographic region, unit type, and nurse staffing, education, experience, and outcomes were associated with fall rates. Implications include specific attention to fall prevention in rehabilitation units, creating better work environments that promote nurse retention, and provide RN-BSN educational opportunities.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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