title: Implementing falls prevention research into policy and practice in Australia: past, present and future.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Falls in older Australians are a significant public health issue with one in three older people falling one or more times each year.
  
  
  METHODS
  Many fall prevention randomized controlled trials have been conducted in Australia as well as across the world.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings of these studies now constitute a substantial evidence base that can provide direction for health and lifestyle interventions for preventing falls in older people. This research evidence has contributed to health policy in Australia to some extent, but is yet to be widely implemented into practice. This opinion piece overviews previous policy initiatives and describes a new Partnership research program funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), which seeks to further influence health policy and address the ongoing research-practice gap.
authors.affiliation: Falls and Balance Research Group, Neuroscience Research Australia, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Sydney, Australia. s.lord@neura.edu.au
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lord
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sherrington
authors.forename: Ian D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Jacqueline C T
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Close
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia; D003479:Curriculum; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005544:Forecasting; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017216:Telemedicine; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical