Can Fall Risk Screening and Fall Prevention Advice in Hospital Settings Motivate Older Adult Patients to Take Action to Reduce Fall Risk?

Objective: We investigated whether an in-hospital intervention consisting of fall risk screening and tailored advice could prompt patients to take preventive action. Method: Patients (≥70) attending the emergency department and nephrology outpatient clinic in a Dutch hospital were screened. Patients...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied gerontology 2021-11, Vol.40 (11), p.1492-1501
Main Authors: Barmentloo, Lotte M., Erasmus, Vicki, Olij, Branko F., Haagsma, Juanita A., Mackenbach, Johan P., Oudshoorn, Christian, Schuit, Stephanie C. E., van der Velde, Nathalie, Polinder, Suzanne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Action
Emergency services
Falls
Health care industry
Health risks
Health services
Injury prevention
Medical diagnosis
Older people
Patients
Predictors and Prevention of Falls
Prevention
Quality of life
Risk factors
Tests
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Summary:Objective: We investigated whether an in-hospital intervention consisting of fall risk screening and tailored advice could prompt patients to take preventive action. Method: Patients (≥70) attending the emergency department and nephrology outpatient clinic in a Dutch hospital were screened. Patients at high risk received tailored advice based on their individual risk factors. Three months after screening, preventive steps taken by patients were surveyed. Results: Two hundred sixteen patients were screened. Of the 83 patients completing a 3-month follow-up, 51.8% took action; among patients who received tailored advice (n = 20), 70% took action. Patients most often adhered to advice on improving muscle strength and undergoing vision checkups (20%). Tailored advice and a reported low quality of life were associated with consulting a health care provider. Discussion: Patients at risk in these settings are inclined to take action after screening. However, they do not always adhere to the tailored prevention advice.
ISSN:0733-4648
1552-4523
DOI:10.1177/07334648211004037