Citation

Howland J, Hackman HH, Taylor A, O'Hara K, Liu J, Brusch J. PLoS One 2018; 13(10): e0205279.

Affiliation

Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Public Library of Science)

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0205279

PMID

30307974

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.

Language: en