An estimated 25% to 35% of elderly people fall each year, and the resulting injuries have a major impact on these patients and the health care system. In their 12-month randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness of a multifaceted program to prevent falls, David Hogan and colleagues enrolled 163 community-dwelling elderly people who had fallen in the 3 months before the study. The intervention group received an in-home assessment and individualized treatment plan and possible exercise plan, while the control group received usual care. Even with the interventions, the authors found no significant impact on any of the fall-related outcomes other than finding a longer time between falls.
In a related commentary, Pekka Kannus and Karim Khan state that the apparent failure of the intervention to ward off future falls should not be cause to abandon hope. They further point out the author's difficulty in assessing adherence and argue that improving adherence to such interventions may be a critical factor to their success.
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Randomized controlled trial of a community-based consultation service to prevent falls - D.B. Hogan
Prevention of falls and subsequent injuries in elderly people: a long way to go in both research and practice - P. Kannus, K.M. Khan
Contacts: Dr. David Hogan, Health Sciences Centre, Calgary.
Dr. Pekka Kannus, Professor and Chief Physician, Accident & Trauma Research Center, Tampere, Finland.
Journal
Canadian Medical Association Journal
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