Attitudes to falls and injury prevention: what are the barriers to implementing falls prevention strategies?

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVES:
To ascertain the reasons for not taking up a fall or injury prevention strategy among older people who have sustained a fall and attended an emergency department.

SUBJECTS:
As part of another trial, we identified 60 people who attended the emergency department of a public hospital with a fall.

MAIN MEASURES:
Participants were interviewed to ascertain the reasons for not taking up a falls prevention strategy, their falls-related health state, and the likelihood of them undertaking a falls and injury prevention strategy.

RESULTS:
A total of 31 (52%) of the participants had considered falls prevention after their fall. There were high levels of reluctance to undertake a strategy with 43 (72%) reluctant to take exercise classes, 10 (59%) reluctant to cease psychotropic medications, 26 (43%) reluctant to have a home safety assessment and 17 (28%) reluctant to take osteoporotic medication. When asked specifically about taking up a strategy to prevent a worsening health state, 19 (63%) of participants would take up exercise, 17 (57%) a home safety assessment, 4 of the 17 (59%) already taking implicated medications would stop and 56 (93%) would begin osteoporotic medication. These decisions did not alter when the goal for treatment was to improve a much worse health state. In participants with a lower starting health state, home safety assessments were viewed more favourably.

CONCLUSIONS:
There were significant obstacles to the implementation of most falls prevention guidelines examined. Treatment for osteoporosis was more acceptable to participants than exercise classes, cessation of psychotropic medication, and having a home safety assessment. Osteoporosis treatment, which had the least resistance, also had the least impact on the participants' lifestyle.

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Author information

Author/s: Whitehead, Craig H (CH); Wundke, Rachel (R); Crotty, Maria (M);

Affiliation: Flinders University Department of Rehabilitation and Aged Care, Repatriation General Hospital, Daws Rd, Daw Park SA 5041, Australia. craig.whitehead(-atsign-)rgh.sa.gov.au

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Clinical rehabilitation (Clin Rehabil), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Jun; vol 20 (issue 6) : pp 536-42

Dates: Created 2006/08/08; Completed 2006/12/05;

PMID: 16892935, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Accidental Falls - prevention & control
Aged
Female
Humans
Male

Motivation
Patient Compliance
Recurrence
South Australia
Wounds and Injuries - prevention & control

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