New Fall Prevention Resources and Publications

CDC publishes 4th edition of the Compendium for Effective Falls Intervention

It’s been 15 years since CDC published its first compendium of evidence-based fall intervention programs to use in our communities.   The 4th edition of the Compendium is now available for download.   Nine new interventions are included in the 4th edition. The Compendium now presents 50 effective, evidence-based interventions to prevent older adults (age 65 and older) from falling, including information about key elements of the intervention, minimum level of training needed to implement it, and original intervention materials.

 

STEADI Healthcare Provider Discussion Topics Guide and Reference Sheet

CDC has also developed two STEADI resources to aid healthcare providers talking to their older patients about fall prevention. These resources can be found under the Clinical Tools tab on the STEADI Clinical Resources site. Talking About Fall Prevention with Your Patients Quick Start Guide Talking About Fall Prevention with Your Patients Discussion Guide Factsheet This guide and reference sheet were created to help busy healthcare providers talk with their older patients about fall risk and prevention.   The guide walks providers through key questions to ask their older patients, action items, and tips.

 

The reference sheet provides conversation tips that can be used in the office when talking with patients.

 

Recent Publications   Validation and Comparison of Fall Screening Tools for Predicting Future Falls Among Older Adults (Published: Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics)—This study compared different falls screening tools to validate the tools’ ability to predict future falls among nearly 2,000 community-dwelling older adults, across 13 months. The study found that falls screening tools have varying sensitivity and specificity for predicting the occurrence of a fall in the following 12 months. Healthcare providers can use this information to choose the appropriate fall screening tool for their older adult patients. Hip Fracture-related Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths by Mechanism of Injury Among Adults Aged 65 and Older, United States 2019 (Published: Journal of Aging and Health)—This article updates the rates of hip fracture-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths among older adults in the United States that are due to falls. This study found that about 88% of emergency department visits and hospitalizations and approximately 83% of deaths related to hip fractures were caused by falls. Differences in Fall Related Emergency Department Visits With and Without an Injury, 2018 (Published: Journal of Safety Research)—This study used the 2018 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project to describe older adults’ fall-related emergency department visits. The study found that most fall-related emergency department visits included an injury diagnosis. Preventing Falls Among Older Adults in Primary Care: A Mixed Methods Process Evaluation Using the RE-AIM Framework (Published: The Gerontologist)—This article reports the process evaluation results of the New York State Department of Health implementing STEADI into their health system, using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. This contains useful information for healthcare providers and healthcare systems who want to implement older adult fall prevention into their clinical workflow. Development and Evaluation of Syndromic Surveillance Definitions for Fall- and Hip Fracture-related Emergency Department Visits Among Adults Aged 65 Years and Older, United States 2017-2018 (Published: Journal of Public Health Medicine & Practice)—This article compares the percentages of emergency department visits captured using new syndromes with emergency department visits from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (HCUP-NEDS). The study found a smaller percentage of older adults’ emergency department visits met the falls and hip fracture definitions in CDC’s National Syndromic Surveillance Program compared with HCUP-NEDS in 2017 and 2018. This article provides useful information for state and local health departments who want to track older adult falls in a timely manner.

 

Other Resources Assess your patient’s fall risk with the online interactive Falls Free CheckUp. Assessment is available in English and Spanish—select from drop down  Check out CDC’s Still Going Strong campaign, for resources to help your older patients stay safe and independent longer. Continue your falls prevention education. Download the Stay Independent brochure for your patients (English | Spanish). Find other fall prevention resources available to clinicians.

 

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