Effects of Nurse-Led Fall Prevention Programs for Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Falls among older adults are preventable events and fall prevention programs led by nursing staff are promising and viable programs for preventing falls. This systematic review aimed to gain insight into the effects of nurse-led fall prevention programs for older adults. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analysis was used as a guideline in reporting this literature search conducted through CINAHL, MEDLINE, Eric, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases. The Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice was used to determine the level of evidence and quality rating of the articles, while data extraction was done by a matrix review method. The review included six randomized controlled trials, two non-randomized controlled trials, and three quasi-experimental designs. Six studies directed their education component of the intervention on the nursing staff, while three focused on the older participants. Nurses' roles were patient assessment, patient education, administration of exercise programs, and follow-up post interventions. Fall rates and fall incidents were reduced in five studies, while three studies changed patients' behavior. Fall prevention programs with education components specific for older adults and nursing staff resulted in positive outcomes. Nursing staff make a significant contribution to improving patients' outcomes, and a fall prevention program that focuses on reducing injurious fall rates and enhancing participants' behavior could maximize its effects.

Usual Alcohol Consumption and Risks for Nonfatal Fall Injuries in the United States: Results From the 2004-2013 National Health Interview Survey

BACKGROUND

Acute alcohol consumption is known to be a risk factor for fall injuries.

OBJECTIVE

The study sought to determine whether usual alcohol consumption increases the risk for nonfatal fall injuries.

METHOD

Data from 289,187 sample adults in the 2004-2013 U.S. National Health Interview Surveys were analyzed. Of these, 3,368 (∼1%) reported a total of 3,579 fall-injury episodes requiring medical consultation in the past 3 months. Latent class analysis based on four contextual indicators identified four ecological subtypes of fall injury within two age groups (18-49 and 50+). Five drinking patterns (i.e., lifetime abstainer, former drinker, low-risk drinker, increased-risk drinker, and highest-risk drinker) were categorized according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) low-risk drinking guidelines. Controlling for potential confounders, negative binomial regression estimated the adjusted rates of any type and subtypes of fall injury, by gender, for each drinking pattern relative to lifetime abstainer.

RESULTS

Compared with lifetime abstainers, the adjusted rate of any fall injury for adults ages 18-49 was significantly higher among highest-risk drinkers (men: incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 2.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.60, 4.20]; women: IRR = 1.90, 95% CI [1.24, 2.91]) and increased-risk drinkers (men: IRR = 1.94, 95% CI [1.25, 3.00]; women: IRR = 1.51, 95% CI [1.11, 2.07]). Furthermore, highest-risk drinkers had higher adjusted rates of either leisure- or sports-related fall injuries than lifetime abstainers.

CONCLUSIONS

Alcohol consumption exceeding NIAAA's low-risk drinking guidelines is associated with elevated rates of nonfatal fall injuries. Findings underscore the importance of adhering to these recommendations.