Home modification to prevent falls by older ED patients.

Home modification to prevent falls by older ED patients.

Gerson L W; Camargo CA Jr; Wilber S T

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. Copyright © 2005 by Elsevier Science (USA).

Female; Male; Aged; Prospective Studies; Confidence Intervals; Human; Chi Square Test; Funding Source; Data Analysis Software; Logistic Regression; T-Tests; Emergency Service; Accidents; Consumer Health Information; Home Environment; Home Safety; Pamphlets; 80 and Over; Accidental Falls – Prevention and Control; Home – Prevention and Control

Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

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