title: Establishing the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and student experience of a Simulation-based education Training program On the Prevention of Falls (STOP-Falls) among hospitalised inpatients: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
abstract: Simulation-based education (SBE) is now commonly used across health professional disciplines to teach a range of skills. The evidence base supporting the effectiveness of this approach for improving patient health outcomes is relatively narrow, focused mainly on the development of procedural skills. However, there are other simulation approaches used to support non-procedure specific skills that are in need of further investigation. This cluster, cross-over randomised controlled trial with a concurrent economic evaluation (cost per fall prevented) trial will evaluate the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and student experience of health professional students undertaking simulation training for the prevention of falls among hospitalised inpatients. This research will target the students within the established undergraduate student placements of Monash University medicine, nursing and allied health across Peninsula Health acute and subacute inpatient wards.
  
  
  
  The intervention will train the students in how to provide the Safe Recovery program, the only single intervention approach demonstrated to reduce falls in hospitals. This will involve redevelopment of the Safe Recovery program into a one-to-many participant SBE program, so that groups of students learn the communication skills and falls prevention knowledge necessary for delivery of the program. The primary outcome of this research will be patient falls across participating inpatient wards, with secondary outcomes including student satisfaction with the SBE and knowledge gain, ward-level practice change and cost of acute/rehabilitation care for each patient measured using clinical costing data.
  
  
  
  The Human Research Ethics Committees of Peninsula Health (LRR/15/PH/11) and Monash University (CF15/3523-2015001384) have approved this research. The participant information and consent forms provide information on privacy, storage of results and dissemination. Registration of this trial has been completed with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12615000817549. This study protocol has been prepared according to the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) checklist.
  
  
  
  ACTRN12615000817549; Pre-results.
authors.affiliation: Peninsula Health, Allied Health, Frankston, Victoria, Australia Department of Physiotherapy, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Cylie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia Allied Health Research Unit, Monash Health, Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Kelly-Ann
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5965-5971
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Bowles
authors.affiliation: Monash Health, Medical Education and Simulation, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kiegaldie
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2612-5162
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maloney
authors.affiliation: Monash University, School of Rural Health, HealthPEER, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2941-2298
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nestel
authors.affiliation: Peninsula Health, Allied Health, Frankston, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaplonyi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia Allied Health Research Unit, Monash Health, Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Terry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Haines
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001315:Australia; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004493:Education / Q000191:economics*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D016015:Logistic Models; D012107:Research Design; D000066908:Simulation Training / Q000379:methods*; D013334:Students
keywords: GERIATRIC MEDICINE; HEALTH ECONOMICS; MEDICAL EDUCATION & TRAINING