Adoption of Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Practices in Primary Care for Older Adults with a History of Falls

Abstract The Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative (AGEC)’s Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program is partnering with a plethora of community based organizations (CBO) and with ARcare, an Arkansas federally qualified healthcare clinic network, to implement the 4Ms of age-friendly care in rural clinics. Baseline clinical data related to the Age-Friendly 4M Framework has been gathered and quality improvement projects initiated to improve the outcomes. Initiatives to improve depression and cognitive screenings are addressing Mentation; fall prevention screens and the offering of fall prevention programs have been added for Mobility; high risk medication screens and chronic pain educational programs are being implemented to address Medications; and finally, Medicare Annual Wellness Visits is the cornerstone to improve what Matters to older adults. A campaign that involves partnered CBOs to address health literacy and increase involvement in evidence-based programs is also helping to drive improvements in age-friendly care in rural Arkansas.

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The treatment of depression in older adults in the primary care setting: An evidence-based review.

Health Psychology ◽

10.1037/0278-6133.25.6.665 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 25 (6) ◽

pp. 665-674 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Karyn M. Skultety ◽

Antonette Zeiss

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Primary Care ◽

Care Setting ◽

Primary Care Setting ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Treatment Of Depression

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The Experience and Perception of Physiotherapists in Nigeria re: Fall Prevention in Recurrent-Faller Older Adults

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice ◽

10.46743/1540-580x/2019.1798 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Perpetua Obi ◽

Henrietha Nwankwo ◽

Diaemeta Emofe ◽

Isreal Adandom ◽

Michael Kalu

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older Adult ◽

Fall Prevention ◽

Developing World ◽

Phenomenological Approach ◽

Developing Nations ◽

Prevention Strategies ◽

Face To Face ◽

Rehabilitation Professionals ◽

History Of

Background: Effective fall prevention practices are essential for reducing falls among older adults. Rehabilitation professionals like physiotherapists are essential members of the fall prevention team, yet little is known about the experiences of physiotherapists practicing fall prevention in developing nations. Objective: To explore the experiences of physiotherapists in Nigeria who practice fall prevention among older adults. Method: We adopted a phenomenological approach to the traditional qualitative design in this study. We purposefully selected and conducted face-to-face interview with twelve physiotherapists who have treated at least one older adult who reported falling two or three times within last six months. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes emerged from our participants: characteristics of recurrent fallers, fall prevention practices, hindrances to fall prevention, and strategies to promote fall prevention practices. In practice, understanding the characteristics (risk factors) of older adults with a history of recurrent falls is important for effective fall prevention practices among physiotherapists. Among other characteristics, our participants believed that older adults who have patronized “traditional bone setters/healer” are at the higher risk of having multiple falls. Conclusion: This study adds to the sparse amount of literature concerning the experience of physiotherapist in fall prevention practices in the developing world. More importantly, the findings of this study will strengthen or stimulate discussion around development of fall prevention strategies specific to the developing world context.

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Building a foundation for utilizing evidence based practice in conjunction with research in baccalaureate nursing program

Journal of Nursing Education and Practice ◽

10.5430/jnep.v10n10p1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Young-Shin Lee ◽

Carmen Galang ◽

Janet E. Hughen

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Nursing Students ◽

Community Health ◽

Fall Prevention ◽

Evidence Based Practice ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Timed Up And Go ◽

Screening Process ◽

Health Fair

Less is known about the undergraduate nursing students’ ability to conduct beginning research. This study aims to explore and describe nursing students' experiences in planning and implementation of community health fairs; and utilizing evidence based practice integrated with research as a learning outcome. The study using a quantitative and descriptive design was conducted by senior nursing students during diverse community health events as a part of Gerontological nursing clinical. The students utilized three fall assessment tools: Balance and Gait test, Timed Up and Go test, and 10-year Fracture Risk Calculation. A total of 74 students participated in seven community health fair events focused on Fall Prevention. This health fair event was in conjunction with the National Fall Prevention Awareness week. A total of 201 older adults were served during the event by nursing students who provided screening process and related health education. Data were gathered and a group of students volunteered to complete the research process. The students participated in oral presentation in the Annual University Research Student Symposium and had poster presentation in the professional academic conference. Early systematic organized planning of the clinical experience gives students opportunity to integrate evidence based practice into research. Application of varied evidence based assessment tools focused on older adults enables students to understand the health issue in depth and the need for additional services. Health fair experiences improve students’ communication and education skills, reality of health issues of the target population in a community, and evidence based research.

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INTEREST GROUP SESSION—HEALTH BEHAVIOR CHANGE: USING DATA ABOUT PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS TO IMPROVE FALL PREVENTION

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2091 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S566-S566

Author(s):

Gwen Bergen

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older Adult ◽

Fall Prevention ◽

Fall Risk ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Patient Characteristics ◽

Health Behavior Change ◽

Clinical Aspects ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Prevention Strategies

Abstract Over one in four U.S. older adults (age 65+) reports falling each year with fall-related medical costs estimated at $50 billion. The American Geriatrics Society/British Geriatrics Society Clinical Practice Guideline for Prevention of Falls in Older Persons recommends that healthcare providers assess and manage their patients’ fall risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries (STEADI) initiative helps healthcare providers incorporate these guidelines by providing tools on how to screen, assess, and intervene to reduce risk. Evaluations of fall prevention have focused on the clinical process and outcomes. Understanding clinical activities is important in fall prevention but a better understanding of older adult characteristics that increase fall-risk, and attitudes that may affect their adoption of evidence-based interventions could improve the effectiveness of prevention strategies. The five presentations in this session include: 1. Demographic, health and functional characteristics of older adults with increased fall risk. 2. Caregivers of people with chronic conditions or disability as a group with increased fall risk. 3. The most effective and efficient ways of identifying older adults with increased fall risk. 4. Facilitators and barriers to older adults’ adherence to evidence-based fall interventions. 5. Applying knowledge of older adult attitudes to improving an implementation of STEADI-based fall prevention. Multifactorial fall prevention strategies such as STEADI focus on the clinical aspects of fall prevention but their success depends on understanding and incorporating older adult characteristics and attitudes. The information presented in this session can inform fall prevention strategies and improve health.

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IMPROVING PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER EDUCATION AND SATISFACTION VIA THE CATCH-ON LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.140 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S36-S36

Author(s):

Erin Emery-Tiburcio ◽

Magdalena Bednarcyzk ◽

Febe Wallace ◽

Michelle Newman

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Primary Care ◽

Learning Communities ◽

Cost Model ◽

Healthcare Access ◽

Primary Care Providers ◽

Educational Interventions ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Care Providers ◽

Provider Education

Abstract Nationally, there is a shortage of geriatric trained healthcare providers caring for older adults. As the population of older adults grows, health care systems and primary care providers struggle to provide high quality, cost effective care for older adults. Time for training is also limited in busy community health centers. The CATCH-ON Learning Communities (LCs) are telehealth educational interventions based on the ECHO model, modified to be less time intensive, thus decreasing cost to participating clinics. In the LC, geriatric specialists provide evidence-based, best practice training utilizing case discussions to illustrate pertinent learning points via monthly one hour video conferences. Practical, specific behavioral recommendations are offered for immediate implementation in each session. LCs are provided to interprofessional primary care teams. The first LC with a federally-qualified health center (FQHC) yielded consistently high satisfaction from participants, along with a 17% decrease in high risk medication prescriptions and 22% increase in falls screenings. Training the primary care workforce in evidence based geriatric interventions can improve the care of all older adults within each health system, improving healthcare access to help mitigate healthcare inequalities, slow adoption of best practices and rising costs of caring for complex older adults. The CATCH-ON Learning Community is an effective, low cost model of training the primary care work force without geographical or financial constraints that frequently limit access to specialized care.

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