Older adult fall prevention practices among primary care providers at accountable care organizations: A pilot study

Jonathan Howland, Holly Hackman, Alyssa Taylor, Kathleen O’Hara, James Liu and John Brusch

PLOS ONE, 2018, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-10

Abstract: Background: Falls are a serious and common problem among older adults. Low-tech, inexpensive, community-based fall prevention programs have been shown to be both effective and cost effective, however, these programs are not well-integrated into clinical practice. Research design: We surveyed primary care providers at a convenience sample of two accountable care organizations in Massachusetts to assess their beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and practices relative to fall risk assessment and intervention for their older patients. Results: Response rate was 71%. Providers’ beliefs about the efficacy of fall risk assessment and intervention were mixed. Eighty-seven percent believed that they could be effective in reducing fall risk among their older adult patients. Ninety-six percent believed that all older adults should be assessed for fall risk; and, 85% believed that this assessment would identify fall risk factors that could be modified. Nonetheless, only 52% believed that they had the expertise to conduct fall risk assessment and only 68% believed that assessing older adult patients for fall risk was the prevailing standard of practice among their peer providers. Although most providers believed it likely that an evidence-based program could reduce fall risk among their patients, only 14% were aware of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s fall risk assessment algorithm (STEADI Toolkit), and only 15% were familiar with Matter of Balance, the most widely disseminated community fall risk prevention program in Massachusetts. Discussion: New strategies that more directly target providers are needed to accelerate integration of fall risk assessment and intervention into primary care practice.

Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0205279

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205279

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