Community falls prevention for people who call an emergency ambulance after a fall: randomised controlled trial

Characteristics of optimum falls prevention exercise programmes for community-dwelling older adults using the FITT principle

“…Exercise is the most widely investigated and effective single intervention for reducing both the rate and risk of falls [6,14,21]. Exercise alone is as effective as multifactorial intervention in reducing falls incidence and is frequently included as a component in effective multifactorial programmes [16,34,58].…”

Assessment and prevention of falls in older people – concise guidance

“…9 UK-based positive trials have adopted a less costly, more opportunistic approach to risk identifi cation by selecting anticipated high-risk groups, such as consecutive emergency department attendees or ambulance call-outs. [10][11][12] The indicators of risk observed within these population samples, in particular a past history of falls and the presence of balance and gait abnormalities, have underpinned the rationale for an opportunistic approach to risk detection in the NHS.…”

“…(Based on the evidence, those over 65 years of age attended by the ambulance service at home after a fall, those presenting to emergency departments, and all inpatients over 65 years of age could be considered at risk till proven otherwise. 10,12,15 )…”

Knowledge and performance among nurses before and after a training programme on patient falls

“…Extrinsic risk factors are external to the patient system and related to the physical environment, including medication, lack of support equipment by bathtubs and toilets, design of furnishings, condition of floors, poor illumination, inappropriate footwear, improper use of devices, and inadequate assistive devices [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. In addition, it had been found that the primary root causes of fatal falls as reported by health care organizations involved inadequate staff communication, incomplete orientation and training, incomplete patient assessment and reassessment, environmental issues, incomplete care planning, unavailable or delayed care provision, and an inadequate organizational culture of safety [14,15].…”

“…Nurses can have a significant impact on injury prevention, as well as on successful treatment and rehabilitation after injuries have occurred. They possess characteristics which are effective in this role; as nurses have a strong skill base in assessment, skilled educators, present in all parts of the health system, and often have long term relationships with patients [14]. In addition nurses themselves are at high risk of certain kind of injuries, such as musculoskeletal injuries as a result of lifting heavy patient, and needle stick injuries [17].…”