A multicentre randomised controlled trial of day hospital-based falls prevention programme for a screened population of community-dwelling older people at high risk of falls

Conroy, Simon; Kendrick, Denise; Harwood, Rowan; Gladman, John; Coupland, Carol; Sach, Tracey; Drummond, Avril; Youde, Jane; Edmans, Judi; Masud, Tahir

Abstract

Objective:

To determine the clinical effectiveness of a day hospital-delivered multifactorial falls prevention programme, for community-dwelling older people at high risk of future falls identified through a screening process.

Design:

Multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Setting:

Eight general practices and three day hospitals based in the East Midlands, UK.

Participants:

Three hundred and sixty-four participants, mean age 79 years, with a median of three falls risk factors per person at baseline.

Interventions:

A day hospital-delivered multifactorial falls prevention programme, consisting of strength and balance training, a medical review and a home hazards assessment.

Main outcome measure:

Rate of falls over 12 months of follow-up, recorded using self-completed monthly diaries.

Results:

One hundred and seventy-two participants in each arm contributed to the primary outcome analysis. The overall falls rate during follow-up was 1.7 falls per person-year in the intervention arm compared with 2.0 falls per person-year in the control arm. The stratum-adjusted incidence rate ratio was 0.86 (95% CI 0.73–1.01), P = 0.08, and 0.73 (95% CI 0.51–1.03), P = 0.07 when adjusted for baseline characteristics. There were no significant differences between the intervention and control arms in any secondary outcomes.

Conclusion:

This trial did not conclusively demonstrate the benefit of a day hospital-delivered multifactorial falls prevention programme, in a population of older people identified as being at high risk of a future fall.

Citation

Conroy, S., Kendrick, D., Harwood, R., Gladman, J., Coupland, C., Sach, T., Drummond, A., Youde, J., Edmans, J., & Masud, T. (2010). A multicentre randomised controlled trial of day hospital-based falls prevention programme for a screened population of community-dwelling older people at high risk of falls. Age and Ageing, 39(6), 704–710. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afq096

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 17, 2010
• Online Publication Date: Sep 7, 2010
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2010
• Deposit Date: Feb 16, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 28, 2025
• Journal: Age and Ageing
• Print ISSN: 0002-0729
• Electronic ISSN: 1468-2834
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 39
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 704–710
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afq096
• Keywords: Accidental falls, screening, primary care, comprehensive geriatric assessment, randomised controlled trial, elderly
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/36306016
• Publisher URL: https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/39/6/704/9279