Falls prevention training for community health workers: strategies and actions for independent living (SAIL).
This article describes a quasi-experimental study on falls prevention for clients of home support services in British Columbia, Canada. The study tested a nurse-designed multifactorial intervention, delivered by community health workers. The intervention consisted of 1 day of falls surveillance and prevention training for 51 community health workers, followed by 6 months of evidence-based interventions with their clients (n = 70) using a pretested Checklist and Action Plan. Study findings showed a 43% reduction (chi2 = 8.742, p < .01) in falls and a 44% reduction (chi2 = 5.739, p < .05) for fallers (those who fell once or more) from the 6-month preintervention period to postintervention. The proportion of falls resulting in any injury did not decrease; however, fractures were reduced from seven in the 6-month preintervention period to one following the intervention. The results indicate this intervention is an effective and inexpensive falls prevention strategy for frail recipients of home support services.
Scott
Victoria J
VJ
British Columbia Injury Research and Prevention Unit, Ministry of Health Services, Victoria, Canada.
Votova
Kristine
K
Gallagher
Elaine
E
D000056:Accident Prevention; D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001955:British Columbia; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003150:Community Health Workers / Q000193:education* / Q000458:organization & administration; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000193:education* / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D015397:Program Evaluation; D018570:Risk Assessment