Older adult fall prevention practices among primary care providers at accountable care organizations: A pilot study.
BACKGROUND:Falls are a serious and common problem among older adults. Low-tech, inexpensive, community-based fall prevention programs have been shown to be both effective and cost effective, however, these programs are not well-integrated into clinical practice. RESEARCH DESIGN:We surveyed primary c...
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doaj-718fcbc585b041aaaf8b370c5ec2cd272020-11-25T00:24:49ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032018-01-011310e020527910.1371/journal.pone.0205279Older adult fall prevention practices among primary care providers at accountable care organizations: A pilot study.Jonathan HowlandHolly HackmanAlyssa TaylorKathleen O'HaraJames LiuJohn BruschBACKGROUND:Falls are a serious and common problem among older adults. Low-tech, inexpensive, community-based fall prevention programs have been shown to be both effective and cost effective, however, these programs are not well-integrated into clinical practice. RESEARCH DESIGN:We surveyed primary care providers at a convenience sample of two accountable care organizations in Massachusetts to assess their beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and practices relative to fall risk assessment and intervention for their older patients. RESULTS:Response rate was 71%. Providers' beliefs about the efficacy of fall risk assessment and intervention were mixed. Eighty-seven percent believed that they could be effective in reducing fall risk among their older adult patients. Ninety-six percent believed that all older adults should be assessed for fall risk; and, 85% believed that this assessment would identify fall risk factors that could be modified. Nonetheless, only 52% believed that they had the expertise to conduct fall risk assessment and only 68% believed that assessing older adult patients for fall risk was the prevailing standard of practice among their peer providers. Although most providers believed it likely that an evidence-based program could reduce fall risk among their patients, only 14% were aware of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's fall risk assessment algorithm (STEADI Toolkit), and only 15% were familiar with Matter of Balance, the most widely disseminated community fall risk prevention program in Massachusetts. DISCUSSION:New strategies that more directly target providers are needed to accelerate integration of fall risk assessment and intervention into primary care practice.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC6181356?pdf=render |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jonathan Howland Holly Hackman Alyssa Taylor Kathleen O'Hara James Liu John Brusch |
spellingShingle |
Jonathan Howland Holly Hackman Alyssa Taylor Kathleen O'Hara James Liu John Brusch Older adult fall prevention practices among primary care providers at accountable care organizations: A pilot study. PLoS ONE |
author_facet |
Jonathan Howland Holly Hackman Alyssa Taylor Kathleen O'Hara James Liu John Brusch |
author_sort |
Jonathan Howland |
title |
Older adult fall prevention practices among primary care providers at accountable care organizations: A pilot study. |
title_short |
Older adult fall prevention practices among primary care providers at accountable care organizations: A pilot study. |
title_full |
Older adult fall prevention practices among primary care providers at accountable care organizations: A pilot study. |
title_fullStr |
Older adult fall prevention practices among primary care providers at accountable care organizations: A pilot study. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Older adult fall prevention practices among primary care providers at accountable care organizations: A pilot study. |
title_sort |
older adult fall prevention practices among primary care providers at accountable care organizations: a pilot study. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
series |
PLoS ONE |
issn |
1932-6203 |
publishDate |
2018-01-01 |
description |
BACKGROUND:Falls are a serious and common problem among older adults. Low-tech, inexpensive, community-based fall prevention programs have been shown to be both effective and cost effective, however, these programs are not well-integrated into clinical practice. RESEARCH DESIGN:We surveyed primary care providers at a convenience sample of two accountable care organizations in Massachusetts to assess their beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and practices relative to fall risk assessment and intervention for their older patients. RESULTS:Response rate was 71%. Providers' beliefs about the efficacy of fall risk assessment and intervention were mixed. Eighty-seven percent believed that they could be effective in reducing fall risk among their older adult patients. Ninety-six percent believed that all older adults should be assessed for fall risk; and, 85% believed that this assessment would identify fall risk factors that could be modified. Nonetheless, only 52% believed that they had the expertise to conduct fall risk assessment and only 68% believed that assessing older adult patients for fall risk was the prevailing standard of practice among their peer providers. Although most providers believed it likely that an evidence-based program could reduce fall risk among their patients, only 14% were aware of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's fall risk assessment algorithm (STEADI Toolkit), and only 15% were familiar with Matter of Balance, the most widely disseminated community fall risk prevention program in Massachusetts. DISCUSSION:New strategies that more directly target providers are needed to accelerate integration of fall risk assessment and intervention into primary care practice. |
url |
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC6181356?pdf=render |
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