Sentinel Fall presenting to the Emergency Department directly discharged: trajectories and needs as basis for the development of targeted interventions

Conditions

Falls, which led to presentation to the emergency department without admission to the hospital

Felix Kastler, Laura Himmelmann, Elisa-Marie Speckmann, Michel Hackbarth, Nina Marie Schmidt et al. (7 authors)

BMC Geriatrics2026-05-21

When a fall leads to a hospital emergency department visit: a focus group study on factors influencing the adoption of falls prevention measures.

Reeck N, Völkel A, Mammes M, Urbahn-Schiefer D, Reineking B, Brushinski E, Stuckenschneider T, Zieschang T, Brütt AL.

2026-01-12

10.1136/bmjopen-2025-106811

Emergency department visits due to severe falls: comparing patient self- reports and general practitioner records: A cross-sectional study.

Fellhölter G, Stuckenschneider T, Himmelmann L, Zieschang T.

2025-10-06

10.1186/s12877-025-06411-9

Research in Partnership With Older People—Involvement in Conducting and Analysing Focus Groups

Nadja Reeck, Anna Völkel, Margarethe Mammes, Dagmar Urbahn‐Schiefer, Bettina Reineking et al. (7 authors)

Health Expectations2025-08-01

10.1111/hex.70354

How socioeconomic status shapes health outcomes following severe falls: a cross-sectional analysis.

Speckmann EM, Schwettmann L, Himmelmann L, Zieschang T, Stuckenschneider T.

2025-07-16

10.1186/s12877-025-06198-9

Recruiting patients for falls prevention in the emergency department - worth the challenge.

Stuckenschneider T, Schmidt L, Speckmann EM, Koschate J, Zieschang T.

2023-12-217 citations

10.1186/s12877-023-04607-5

Sentinel fall presenting to the emergency department (SeFallED) – protocol of a complex study including long-term observation of functional trajectories after a fall, exploration of specific fall risk factors, and patients’ views on falls prevention

Tim Stuckenschneider, Jessica Koschate, Ellen Dunker, Nadja Reeck, Michel Hackbarth et al. (11 authors)

BMC Geriatrics2022-07-1821 citations

10.1186/s12877-022-03261-7

Interventions

Group 1: An observational prospective study for risk admission based on an extensive assessment battery. Study period: 24 months Assessment period with two appointments (home assessment and visit to

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

60 Years to No maximum

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Participants who meet the following inclusion criteria will be eligible: 1) age 60 years or above, 2) presented to the emergency department of the Klinikum Oldenburg after a fall and discharged within 72 hours.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Participants will be deemed ineligible if they meet any of the following criteria: 1) life expectancy of less than 3 months, 2) unstable medical, neurological or psychiatric condition, 3) bedridden or being unable to walk without support of another person, 4) residence more than 40 km away from the research center, 5) acute psychosis or social aggression, 6) inability to communicate verbally in German or English.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
The primary outcome of the observational study will be the identification of different functional trajectories regarding the activities of daily living (ADLs) after a fall, as a low performance in ADLs reflects the loss of independence and is associated with a deteriorating quality of life but also high health-care costs. Further, it is the aim of the observational study to identify the prognostic value of different risk factors such as aerobic fitness and reactive balance in predicting the trajectories identified. As the assessment of reactive balance may influcene functional trajectories, we will control for potentially confounding effects with our included randomized controlled trial (RCT). The primary outcome of this RCT is fall rate per year.	—

Measure

Time frame

The primary outcome of the observational study will be the identification of different functional trajectories regarding the activities of daily living (ADLs) after a fall, as a low performance in ADLs reflects the loss of independence and is associated with a deteriorating quality of life but also high health-care costs. Further, it is the aim of the observational study to identify the prognostic value of different risk factors such as aerobic fitness and reactive balance in predicting the trajectories identified. As the assessment of reactive balance may influcene functional trajectories, we will control for potentially confounding effects with our included randomized controlled trial (RCT). The primary outcome of this RCT is fall rate per year.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Secondary outcomes include different domains of functional abilities, of physical activity and the need for further health care. Fall-related outcomes include fear of falling, the total number of falls and the time until a recurrent fall event occured. Further, number of falls will be analyzed in relation to the physical activity level and dynamic balance and aerobic fitness will be analyzed. The results of the qualitative data asssessment will provide insight into barriers and facilitators to fall prevention programs.	—

Measure

Time frame

Secondary outcomes include different domains of functional abilities, of physical activity and the need for further health care. Fall-related outcomes include fear of falling, the total number of falls and the time until a recurrent fall event occured. Further, number of falls will be analyzed in relation to the physical activity level and dynamic balance and aerobic fitness will be analyzed. The results of the qualitative data asssessment will provide insight into barriers and facilitators to fall prevention programs.

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Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactTim Stuckenschneider

Carl von Ossietzky Universität OldenburgFakultät VI Medizin und GesundheitswissenschaftenDepartment für Versorgungsforschung

tim.stuckenschneider@uni-oldenburg.de0049 441 798 2327

Outcome results

None listed