Home modification to prevent falls by older ED patients.

Home modification to prevent falls by older ED patients.

Gerson Lowell W; Camargo Carlos A Jr; Wilber Scott T

The American journal of emergency medicine

2005

2005-05

This trial was conducted at 11 EDs to test the effectiveness of distributing fall prevention information to patients 65 years or older. Intervention patients were given 2 brochures and received a reminder call 2 weeks later. All patients were called at 1 month and asked if they made home safety modifications. Three hundred ninety-seven patients were enrolled (118 control, 279 intervention). Seventy-six percent had complete follow up interviews. Nine percent of control and 8% of intervention patients reported a home modification (95% confidence interval on difference, -8.1% to 5.5%). Patients who fell in the prior year had a 2.0 increased odds (95% confidence interval, 0.8-4.6) of making a home modification. The similar home modification rates in the 2 study groups suggest that even minimum discussion (eg, the informed consent procedure) may increase patients' fall prevention activities. The stronger association in patients who fell suggests that a targeted program may have added benefit.

Accidental Falls/*prevention & control; Accidents; Aged; Female; Home/*prevention & control; Humans; Male; Prospective Studies; Safety

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295–298

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