For residents in long-term care facilities, falling is a major concern requiring preventive intervention. A prospective cohort study measured the impact of falls reduction following the implementation of evidence-based fall prevention interventions in 9 Australian residential care facilities. An external project team provided a comprehensive audit of current practice. Facilitated by an action research approach, interventions were individualized to be facility- and patient-specific and included the following: environmental modifications such as low beds and height-adjustable chairs, movement alarms, hazard removal, and hip protectors. Participants included 670 residents and 650 staff from 9 facilities across 3 states. A significant reduction of falls were observed per site in the proportion of fallers (P = .044) and single fallers (P = .04). However, overall the number of falls was confounded by multiple falls in residents. Reduction in fallers was sustained in the 6-month follow-up phase. Positive outcomes from interventions varied between facilities. Further research is necessary to target frequent fallers.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	Falls Prevention Intervention
Research Division:	Health Sciences
Research Group:	Health services and systems
Research Field:	Health care administration
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Evaluation of health and support services
Objective Field:	Evaluation of health outcomes
UTAS Author:	Andrews, S (Dr Sharon Andrews)
UTAS Author:	Lea, E (Dr Emma Lea)
UTAS Author:	Robinson, A (Professor Andrew Robinson)
ID Code:	75789
Year Published:	2012
Web of Science® Times Cited:	17
Deposited By:	Health Sciences B
Deposited On:	2012-02-16
Last Modified:	2013-05-08
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