Abstract
【Objective】 Previous case studies reported that bed exit alarms used for fall prevention cause uncomfortable feelings and emotions in patients. This study aimed to identify the recognitions by nurses for the reactions of patients under the bed exit alarm system.【Methods】 Author-developed questionnaires were distributed to registered nurses and licensed practical nurses working at 211 general hospitals in Japan. The participating nurses were asked about notable experiences with patients in terms of facial expressions and verbalizations in reaction to bed exit alarms. For text analysis, free-text responses were analyzed using morphological analysis software.【Results】 A total of 77 hospitals participated in this study. Of the returned responses, 498 valid responses were analyzed. These responses were categorized into 4 categories: “trying to escape from the bed exit alarm, ” “unpleasant expression following the bed exit alarm, ” “it looks strange that a nurse visits a room without a patient calling for one, ” and “ apologizing for nurses that frequently visit the rooms.” 【Conclusions】 It is important to educate nurses about that bed exit alarm can cause distress to patients as a common understanding and to build a system of fall prevention by collaborative care.
