Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Jun;40(2):116-128.
doi: 10.1111/ajag.12914. Epub 2021 Feb 18.

Providing fall prevention services in the emergency department: Is it effective? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Kristie J Harper  1 , Glenn Arendts  2 , Annette D Barton  1 , Antonio Celenza  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Providing fall prevention services in the emergency department: Is it effective? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Kristie J Harper et al. Australas J Ageing. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effects of fall prevention services initiated in the emergency department (ED) to support patients after discharge.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. Analysis of pooled data used random-effects modelling with results presented as a risk ratio (RR).

Results: Eleven studies were identified (n = 4,018). The proportion of older adults who fell did not differ between the intervention and control groups (RR 0.93; 95% CI, 0.82-1.06, I2 68%, P = 0.28). There was a significant (P = 0.01) reduction in the monthly rate of falling (RR 0.69; 95% CI, 0.52-0.91, I2 93%), fall-related injuries (RR 0.72; 95% CI, 0.59-0.88, I2 0%, P = 0.001), and hospital admissions (RR 0.76; 95% CI, 0.64-0.90, I2 0%, P = 0.002).

Conclusions: ED fall prevention services did not significantly reduce the proportion of older adults who had future falls. However, multifactorial intervention significantly reduced fall-related injuries and hospital admissions with low heterogeneity.

Keywords: accidental falls; aged; emergency service, hospital; health education.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Tirrell G, Sri-on J, Lipsitz LA, Camargo CA, Kabrhel C, Liu SW. Evaluation of older adult patients with falls in the Emergency Department: Discordance with national guidelines. Acad Emerg Med. 2015;22(4):461-467. https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.12634
    1. Gray LC, Peel NM, Costa AP, et al. Profiles of older patients in the Emergency Department: Findings from the interRAI multinational Emergency Department study. Ann Emerg Med. 2013;62(5):467-474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2013.05.008
    1. Rubenstein LZ. Falls in older people: Epidemiology, risk factors and strategies for prevention. Age Ageing. 2006;35 Suppl 2:ii37-ii41; https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afl084
    1. Dunn JE, Rudberg MA, Furner SE, Cassel CK. Mortality, disability, and falls in older persons: The role of underlying disease and disability. Am J Public Health. 1992;82(3):395-400. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.82.3.395
    1. Chippendale T, Gentile PA, James MK. Characteristics and consequences of falls among older adult trauma patients: considerations for injury prevention programs. Aust Occup Ther J. 2017;64(5):350-357. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12380

LinkOut - more resources