Attitudes of GPs to medical management in a falls clinic service.
BACKGROUND
Intervention programs that target falls risk factors can be effective. Falls clinics that use detailed multidisciplinary assessment are relatively new in Australia and it is not known how they are perceived by general practitioners.


METHODS
A survey of referring GPs' attitudes to a falls clinic service and an audit of changes to patients' medical management resulting from falls clinic advice.


RESULTS
General practitioners were largely satisfied with the falls clinic service, although they did not often change their patients' medical therapy as a result, or feel that review in the falls clinic had reduced their patients' frequency of falling.


CONCLUSIONS
Further work is needed to confirm that the reductions in falls achieved in clinical trials are also being found in routine clinical practice. Alternative models of falls prevention and falls clinics could be explored, in partnership with primary care providers.
Beer
Christopher
C
University of Western Australia, Royal Perth and Mercy Hospitals and Swan Health Service, Perth, Western Australia. cbeer@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*