Alexander Zozula1, Christopher R Carpenter2, Kim Lipsey3, Susan Stark4. 1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA. 2. Division of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. 3. Becker Medical Library, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. 4. Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Falls represent an increasing source of geriatric morbidity and mortality. Prehospital emergency services may be uniquely suited to screen and refer subsets of high-risk older adults to fall prevention programmes. This systematic review assesses the effectiveness of such screening and referral programmes. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library and OTseeker for English-language peer-reviewed randomised trials, non-randomised trials and cohort studies evaluating prehospital fall risk screening and referral programmes for community-dwelling adults ≥60 years of age. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. Primary outcomes included the risk and rate of falling. Secondary outcomes included successful follow-up to address fall risks and adverse events. RESULTS: From 6187 unique records, 6 studies were included. Screening varied from using semistructured risk assessments to recording chief complaints. All studies were at high risk of bias. One unblinded trial of a multifactorial fall prevention programme demonstrated a 14.3% (95% CI 6.1% to 22.5%) absolute reduction in annual fall risk and a relative fall incidence of 0.45 (95% CI 0.35 to 0.58). The probability of successful follow-up varied from 9.8% to 81.0%. No studies demonstrated any attributable adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: No high-quality evidence demonstrates that prehospital services reduce falls in community-dwelling older adults. Screening by prehospital personnel using semistructured risk assessments appears feasible, but it is unclear whether this is superior to referral based on fall-related chief complaints. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO 2012:CRD42012002782. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/
BACKGROUND: Falls represent an increasing source of geriatric morbidity and mortality. Prehospital emergency services may be uniquely suited to screen and refer subsets of high-risk older adults to fall prevention programmes. This systematic review assesses the effectiveness of such screening and referral programmes. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library and OTseeker for English-language peer-reviewed randomised trials, non-randomised trials and cohort studies evaluating prehospital fall risk screening and referral programmes for community-dwelling adults ≥60 years of age. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. Primary outcomes included the risk and rate of falling. Secondary outcomes included successful follow-up to address fall risks and adverse events. RESULTS: From 6187 unique records, 6 studies were included. Screening varied from using semistructured risk assessments to recording chief complaints. All studies were at high risk of bias. One unblinded trial of a multifactorial fall prevention programme demonstrated a 14.3% (95% CI 6.1% to 22.5%) absolute reduction in annual fall risk and a relative fall incidence of 0.45 (95% CI 0.35 to 0.58). The probability of successful follow-up varied from 9.8% to 81.0%. No studies demonstrated any attributable adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: No high-quality evidence demonstrates that prehospital services reduce falls in community-dwelling older adults. Screening by prehospital personnel using semistructured risk assessments appears feasible, but it is unclear whether this is superior to referral based on fall-related chief complaints. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO 2012:CRD42012002782. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/
Authors: Elizabeth M Goldberg; Sarah J Marks; Aderonke Ilegbusi; Linda Resnik; Daniel H Strauss; Roland C Merchant Journal: J Am Geriatr Soc Date: 2019-10-17 Impact factor: 5.562
Authors: Nada Hammouda; Christopher R Carpenter; William W Hung; Adriane Lesser; Sylviah Nyamu; Shan Liu; Cameron J Gettel; Aaron Malsch; Edward M Castillo; Savannah Forrester; Kimberly Souffront; Samuel Vargas; Elizabeth M Goldberg Journal: Acad Emerg Med Date: 2021-06-15 Impact factor: 3.451