Specialized Care Resources for Diagnosis and Management of Patients Who Have Suffered Falls: Results of a National Survey in Geriatric Units

Irene Bartolomé Martín, Ainhoa Esteve Arríen, Marta Neira Álvarez, Giovanna Cristofori, Bernardo Abel Cedeno-Veloz, Mariano Esbrí Víctor, Bárbara Pérez Pena, Alfonso González Ramírez, María Ángeles Caballero-Mora () and on behalf of the Falls Study Group of Sociedad Española de Medicina Geriátrica (SEMEG)
Additional contact information
Irene Bartolomé Martín: Servicio de Geriatría, Hospital Universitario de Guadalajara,19002 Guadalajara, Spain
Ainhoa Esteve Arríen: Geriatric Medicine, Universidad Castilla La Mancha, 45600 Toledo, Spain
Marta Neira Álvarez: Geriatrician Department, Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor, Universidad Complutense, 28031 Madrid, Spain
Giovanna Cristofori: Geriatrician Department, Hospital Universitario Central de la Cruz Roja, 28003 Madrid, Spain
Bernardo Abel Cedeno-Veloz: Geriatric Department, University Hospital of Navarre (HUN), 31008 Pamplona, Spain
Mariano Esbrí Víctor: Geriatrician Department, Hospital Perpetuo Socorro Albacete, 02006 Albacete, Spain
Bárbara Pérez Pena: Geriatrician Department, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla Santander, 39008 Santander, Spain
Alfonso González Ramírez: Geriatrician Department, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
María Ángeles Caballero-Mora: Geriatrician Department, Hospital General Universitario de Ciudad Real, 13005 Madrid, Spain
on behalf of the Falls Study Group of Sociedad Española de Medicina Geriátrica (SEMEG): The Falls Study Group of Sociedad Española de Medicina Geriátrica (SEMEG) are listed in acknowledgments.

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 11, 1-10

Abstract: Introduction: Clinical guidelines recommend comprehensive multifactorial assessment and intervention to prevent falls and fractures in older populations. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted by the Falls Study Group of the Spanish Geriatric Medicine Society (SEMEG) to outline which types of healthcare-specific resources were assigned for fall assessment in Spanish geriatric departments. A self-reported seven-item questionnaire was delivered from February 2019 to February 2020. Where geriatric medicine departments were not available, we tried to contact geriatricians working in those areas. Results: Information was obtained regarding 91 participant centers from 15 autonomous communities, 35.1% being from Catalonia and 20.8% from Madrid. A total of 21.6% reported a multidisciplinary falls unit, half of them in geriatric day hospitals. Half of them reported fall assessment as part of a general geriatric assessment in general geriatric outpatient clinics (49.5%) and, in 74.7% of cases, the assessment was based on functional tests. A total of 18.7% reported the use of biomechanical tools, such as posturography, gait-rides or accelerometers, for gait and balance analysis, and 5.5% used dual X-ray absorptiometry. A total of 34% reported research activity focused on falls or related areas. Regarding intervention strategies, 59% reported in-hospital exercise programs focused on gait and balance improvement and 79% were aware of community programs or the pathways to refer patients to these resources. Conclusions: This study provides a necessary starting point for a future deep analysis. Although this study was carried out in Spain, it highlights the need to improve public health in the field of fall prevention, as well as the need, when implementing public health measures, to verify that these measures are implemented homogeneously throughout the territory. Therefore, although this analysis was at the local level, it could be useful for other countries to reproduce the model.

Keywords: older people; falls; falls clinic; healthcare resources; comprehensive geriatric assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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