Providing fall prevention services in the emergency department: Is it effective? A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Kristie J. Harper, Glenn Arendts, Annette Barton, Antonio Celenza
Abstract
Abstract Objective To assess the effects of fall prevention services initiated in the emergency department (ED) to support patients after discharge. Methods A systematic review and meta‐analysis were conducted. Analysis of pooled data used random‐effects modelling with results presented as a risk ratio (RR). Results Eleven studies were identified (n = 4,018). The proportion of older adults who fell did not differ between the intervention and control groups (RR 0.93; 95% CI, 0.82‐1.06, I 2 68%, P = 0.28 ). There was a significant ( P = 0.01) reduction in the monthly rate of falling (RR 0.69; 95% CI, 0.52‐0.91, I 2 93%), fall‐related injuries (RR 0.72; 95% CI, 0.59‐0.88, I 2 0%, P = 0.001), and hospital admissions (RR 0.76; 95% CI, 0.64‐0.90, I 2 0%, P = 0.002). Conclusions ED fall prevention services did not significantly reduce the proportion of older adults who had future falls. However, multifactorial intervention significantly reduced fall‐related injuries and hospital admissions with low heterogeneity.