Preventing further falls and functional decline among elderly persons presented to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department with a fall: randomised controlled trial

Conditions

Falls Injury, Occupational Diseases, Poisoning Falls

Bleijlevens MH, Hendriks MR, van Haastregt JC, van Rossum E, Kempen GI, Diederiks JP, Crebolder HF, van Eijk JT.

2008-09-2424 citations

Prevention of fall incidents in patients with a high risk of falling: design of a randomised controlled trial with an economic evaluation of the effect of multidisciplinary transmural care.

Peeters GM, de Vries OJ, Elders PJ, Pluijm SM, Bouter LM, Lips P.

2007-07-0224 citations

10.1186/1471-2318-7-15

Interventions

1. Patients in the intervention group underwent a detailed medical and occupational-therapy assessment with referral to relevant services if indicated 2. Those assigned to the control

Eligibility

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Aged 65 years or older 2. Community-dwelling 3. Having visited the A&E department or GP cooperative at the University Hospital Maastricht with consequences resulting from a fall 4. Living in Maastricht or its surroundings

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Not able to speak or understand Dutch 2. Not able to complete questionnaires or interviews by telephone 3. Cognitive impairment (a score of less than 4 on the Abbreviated Mental Test 4 (AMT 4) 4. Long-term admission to a hospital or other institution (more than four weeks from the date of inclusion) 5. Permanently bedridden 6. Fully dependent on a wheelchair

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. Number of falls (recorded continuously by means of a fall calendar during the twelve-month follow-up period): 1.1. The percentage of elderly people sustaining a fall during the one-year follow-up period 1.2. Recurrent falls during follow-up (i.e., the percentage of elderly people sustaining two or more falls) 1.3. Injurious falls during follow-up (the percentage of elderly people receiving medical care after a fall) 2. Daily functioning, measured using the Frenchai Activity Index (FAI) at baseline and after four and twelve months	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Number of falls (recorded continuously by means of a fall calendar during the twelve-month follow-up period): 1.1. The percentage of elderly people sustaining a fall during the one-year follow-up period 1.2. Recurrent falls during follow-up (i.e., the percentage of elderly people sustaining two or more falls) 1.3. Injurious falls during follow-up (the percentage of elderly people receiving medical care after a fall) 2. Daily functioning, measured using the Frenchai Activity Index (FAI) at baseline and after four and twelve months

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Secondary outcome measures: 1. Recuperation from the fall 2. Health complaints 3. Perceived health measured by means of the first two items of the RAND 36-Item Health Survey 4. Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) disability measured by means of the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale (GARS) 5. Mental health measured by means of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) 6. Quality of life measured by means of the European Quality of Life instrument (EuroQol) The secondary outcome measures are assessed by means of self-administered questionnaires at four and twelve months.	—

Measure

Time frame

Secondary outcome measures: 1. Recuperation from the fall 2. Health complaints 3. Perceived health measured by means of the first two items of the RAND 36-Item Health Survey 4. Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) disability measured by means of the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale (GARS) 5. Mental health measured by means of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) 6. Quality of life measured by means of the European Quality of Life instrument (EuroQol) The secondary outcome measures are assessed by means of self-administered questionnaires at four and twelve months.

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Countries

Netherlands

Outcome results

None listed