Falls are a relevant economic burden to society. Efforts should be directed to economic evaluations of fall-prevention programmes aiming at reducing fall-related fractures, which contribute substantially to fall-related costs.

The intervention reduced restraint use without a significant increase in falling, behavioral symptoms, or medication.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of a statewide dissemination of a modified evidence‐based fall prevention program on incidence of femoral fractures in nursing homes. DESIGN: Observational study of a staged implementation of a successful fall prevention program. SETTING: One thousand three hundred fifty‐nine nursing homes in two federal states in the south of Germany. PARTICIPANTS: Nine thousand seventy‐seven residents in the intervention homes and 43,583 residents in control homes from the same and a different federal state. INTERVENTION: Staff education on fall prevention, advice on environmental adaptations, and progressive strength and balance training over at least 1 year. MEASUREMENTS: Incident femoral fractures. RESULTS: One thousand five hundred eighteen femoral fractures occurred in the total study population during the intervention period. The crude incidence rate of femoral fractures was 39.5/1,000 person‐years in residents from the intervention homes and 40.9 and 39.7/1,000 person‐years in residents from two sets of control homes. In a multivariate model, there was no evidence of an effect of the fall prevention program on incidence of femoral fracture when compared with control homes from the same federal state (adjusted hazard ratio (AHR)=0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.83–1.11) or from a different federal state (AHR=1.00, 95% CI=0.86–1.16). CONCLUSION: The statewide dissemination of a multifactorial fall prevention program did not appear to reduce the burden of femoral fractures in residents of nursing homes.

The identification of different risk indicators in the subgroups indicates that specific strategies may be more appropriate to improve the effectiveness of fall prevention in long-term care, than the application of one strategy to all residents. The identification of incontinence, visual impairment, and restraints as risk indicators stresses the need for intervention studies which specifically address these items.

No abstract

During the period, we observed a marked decline of the fracture rate compared with the controlled phase of the intervention trial. A lower number of nursing care hours on weekends was not associated with a higher incidence density rate for falls, fallers, or any type of fracture.

Elderly persons living in the community are a heterogeneous population. Among them, the screening of persons at risk of falling is still a matter of debate. The aim of this analysis was to improve the identification process of elderly persons living in the community at risk for falling by nursing staff of community- based services. A secondary analysis was performed with the data from a prospective non-randomized interventional trial. The study included 268 community-dwelling older adults (mean age of 82 years, 81.3% female) from Ulm and Neu-Ulm with a followup period of 12 months. Fall risk indicators were extracted from the nursing assessment and analysis with crude odds ratios revealed the following risk indicators for falls: assistance when transferring, bathing and climbing a flight of stairs as well as fall history. Afterwards, fall risk indicators were selected by backward elimination in a multiple logistic regression. Variable selection identified a positive fall history and the need for assistance when bathing as important risk indicators. These two risk indicators could be used as a screening tool, which would be easy to perform by nursing staff in their daily work. This screening test defined as more than one fall in the last 12 months or bathing assistance, the first ADL to be affected in the disablement process, has a sensitivity of 85.3% and a specificity of 42.1%.

Depending on the amount the decision-maker is willing to pay for the incremental effect, the fall prevention program might be cost-effective within the first year. Future studies should expand the range of costs and effects measured.