TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2012//
TI  - The 6-PACK programme to decrease falls and fall-related injuries in acute hospitals: protocol for an economic evaluation alongside a cluster randomised controlled trial
JO  - Injury prevention
A1  - Morello, Renata
A1  - Barker, Anna
A1  - Zavarsek, Silva
A1  - Watts, Jennifer J.
A1  - Haines, Terry
A1  - Hill, Keith D.
A1  - Sherrington, Cathie
A1  - Brand, Caroline A.
A1  - Jolley, Damien
A1  - Stoelwinder, Just
SP  - e2
EP  - e2
VL  - 18
IS  - 2
N2  - BackgroundFalls are a common hospital occurrence complicating the care of patients. From an economic perspective, the impact of in-hospital falls and related injuries is substantial. However, few studies have examined the economic implications of falls prevention interventions in an acute care setting. The 6-PACK programme is a targeted nurse delivered falls prevention programme designed specifically for acute hospital wards. It includes a risk assessment tool and six simple strategies that nurses apply to patients classified as high-risk by the tool.ObjectiveTo examine the incremental cost-effectiveness of the 6-PACK programme for the prevention of falls and fall-related injuries, compared with usual care practice, from an acute hospital perspective.Methods and designThe 6-PACK project is a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) that includes 24 acute medical and surgical wards from six hospitals in Australia to investigate the efficacy of the 6-PACK programme. This economic evaluation will be conducted alongside the 6-PACK cluster RCT. Outcome and hospitalisation cost data will be prospectively collected on approximately 16 000 patients admitted to the participating wards during the 12-month trial period. The results of the economic evaluation will be expressed as 'cost or saving per fall prevented' and 'cost or saving per fall-related injury prevented' calculated from differences in mean costs and effects in the intervention and control groups, to generate an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER).DiscussionThis economic evaluation will provide an opportunity to explore the cost-effectiveness of a targeted nurse delivered falls prevention programme for reducing in-hospital falls and fall-related injuries. This protocol provides a detailed statement of a planned economic evaluation conducted alongside a cluster RCT to investigate the efficacy of the 6-PACK programme to prevent falls and fall-related injuries.Trial registration numberThe protocol for the cluster RCT is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12611000332921).<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1353-8047
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2011-040302
ID  - ref1
ER  -