Fall Prevention: Relatedness of Adherence to Recommendations and Self-Rated Knowledge

Abstract

Objective: Our intent was to explore the relationships between adherence to fall-prevention recommendations and client characteristics possibly related to adherence. Method: We used secondary data originally collected from the initial interviews/home evaluations and follow-up interviews of 120 participants from a previously completed community-based fall-prevention program. Correlations of data from all participants explored relationships between adherence to fall-prevention recommendations and initial concern for falling, self-rated health, and self-rated fallprevention knowledge. To better understand whether participants gained understanding of the impact of adherence to recommendations, a content analysis was performed on narrative responses to a question regarding the effect of adherence to recommendations on one's ability to independently perform daily tasks. Results: Considering the entire sample, concern about falling was related to adherence to fall-prevention recommendations, but adherence and increased self-rated fall-prevention knowledge was correlated only in a subgroup of participants who identified helpful attributes of recommendations in their narrative responses. Conclusion: Occupational therapy fall-prevention recommendations cannot invoke change without adherence. The relationship demonstrated here between adherence to fall-prevention recommendations and increased self-rated fall-prevention knowledge in participants verbalizing positive aspects of following the recommendations supports previous findings and suggests that an understanding of the benefit may be associated with adherence to fall-prevention recommendations, hopefully leading to fewer falls.

Thinking and Acting in a New Way: Influences of a Falls-Prevention Program on Participants' Everyday Life

“…This practical engagement along with the idea that fall prevention has to address a variety of aspects and factors to be able to have significance for the individual might, also have influenced the completion of the program for the informants. In this study, all the informants completed the program over nine months Problems with adherence to programs has been stressed in contemporary research (Gibson et al, 2010;Merom et al, 2012) and must be viewed as a major threat to the evaluations of programs. If individuals neglect to adhere to recommended programs, how could the future existence of them be feasible and how could the professionals justify them from an ethical or economic perspective?…”

“…Recent research has provided results showing that multidisciplinary program that target individuals at risk and which are underpinned by concepts such as social learning theory or the concept of self-efficacy are effective (Cheal & Clemson, 2001;Clemson et al, 2004;Gibson, Greene, Sample & Cabrera, 2010;Jackson, Carlson, Mandel, Zemke & Clark, 1998;Mountain & Craig, 2011). Falls could be prevented by interventions targeting strengths and balance, modification of the home environment and behavior safety (Clemson et al, 2004;Hay et al, 2002).…”

Effectiveness and Acceptability within a Skilled Nursing Facility Setting

“…The frequencies to which participants agreed to scale items were calculated. In addition, the responses to open-ended questions of the Session and Program Satisfaction Surveys were analyzed according to the a priori themes identified as major trends in healthcare and fall prevention (Ryan & Bernard, 2003;Chang et al, 2004;Gibson et al, 2010). Theme units were identified through text analysis searching for repetition of words and, similarities and differences of topics of information presented and moved into codable units or categories.…”

Does a Falls Prevention Program Impact Perceived Participation in Everyday Occupations? A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

“…In this study all the informants completed the programme over nine months. Problems with adherence to programmes have been stressed in contemporary research (Gibson, Greene, Sample, & Cabrera, 2010;Merom et al, 2012;Pohl, 2015) and must be viewed as a major threat to the evaluations of programmes in research. This might also negatively contribute to the ineffective use of resources in primary health care.…”