Background: Falls are recognized globally as a major public health problem. Although the elderly are the most affected population, it should be noted that the pediatric population is also very susceptible to the risk of falling. The fall risk approach is the assessment tool. There are different types of tools used in both clinical and territorial settings. Material and methods: In the month of January 2021, a literature search was undertaken of MEDLINE, CINHAL and The Cochrane Database, adopting as limits: last 10 years, abstract available, and English and Italian language. The search terms used were “Accidental Falls” AND “Risk Assessment” and “Fall Risk Assessment Tool” or “Fall Risk Assessment Tools”. Results: From the 115 selected articles, 38 different fall risk assessment tools were identified, divided into two groups: the first with the main tools present in the literature, and the second represented by tools of some specific areas, of lesser use and with less supporting literature. Most of these articles are prospective cohort or cross-sectional studies. All articles focus on presenting, creating or validating fall risk assessment tools. Conclusion: Due to the multidimensional nature of falling risk, there is no “ideal” tool that can be used in any context or that performs a perfect risk assessment. For this reason, a simultaneous application of multiple tools is recommended, and a direct and in-depth analysis by the healthcare professional is essential.

Hospital discharge should be planned during the first days of stay to avoid an inappropriate length of stay and an early rehospitalization. Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score Index (BRASS index) evaluates the risk of difficult discharge, Barthel Index the level of autonomy in “activities of daily living” (ADL). This is a prospective observational study, performed in Padua’s Hospital (Italy), with the purpose of validating two cut-offs in the Barthel Index using the BRASS Index, in order to find three bands for difficult discharges: low, medium and high risk. Two studies have been conducted: a pilot study in 2017 with 153 patients and a validation study in 2018 with 253 patients, in order to validate data emerged from the pilot study. Using a statistical method, two cut-offs have been identified in the Barthel Index. Both of study showed that the grade of autonomy is correlated with the risk of difficult discharge. A Barthel score between 0 and 35 corresponds to a high risk, between 35 and 70 to a medium and over 75 to a low. This study suggests that, by the use of only Barthel Index, it may be possible to identify patients who may have difficulty in early discharge. This result suggests that the degree of functional dependence is predictive of the risk of difficult discharge. Further studies are needed to confirm the correlation between these data also in other realities (e.g. outside hospital departments). Nurses could use a single instrument to evaluate the autonomy and the risk of difficult discharge in order to identify early patients that need a discharge plan. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Background: The process to obtain valid informed consent in healthcare reflects many aspects. Healthcare professionals that take care of the patient must provide him all the necessary information and verify his understanding, considering individual characteristics. Nurses are one of the main participants in this process. Objective: This study assesses nurses’ perceptions of their role in the informed consent process. Material and Methods: An observational study involving 300 nurses operating in 13 wards of the Padua Hospital, through the submitting of a questionnaire in the period November–December 2018. Results: The final sample is made up of 206 nurses—27 males (13.11%) and 179 females (86.89%). Work experience, on average 15 years, is significant in determining the answers to questions about opinions and experiences. Age is significant in determining how often nurses provide information to the patient’s family members about the actions to be taken after discharge. The ward was decisive in the responses related to information provided to patients on the nursing care level and the actions to be taken after discharge, and the definition of the nurse’s duties. Conclusions: The data collected show the need for interventions to reduce the causes of difficult that the nurse has in informing patients.