title: Falls among older general practice patients: a 2-year nationwide surveillance study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Falling among older persons is a multifactorial health condition needing multifactorial care. Several targeted preventive interventions and their coordination are considered to be general practitioner (GP)-specific tasks.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the incidence of falls among older non-institutionalized general practice patients in Belgium (2009-10) and to describe the main characteristics of falls, fallers and fall risks; factors associated with multiple fall risks and the co-occurrence of fall risks; patient status 3 months later and care delivery.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 2-year nationwide cross-sectional study based on data collected by the Belgian network of Sentinel General Practices on all non-institutionalized persons aged ≥65 years consulting their GP for new fall-related injuries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline data were collected on 1503 persons and valid follow-up data were available on 715 persons (79%). The yearly incidence of older persons with fall-related injuries was estimated at 2.5% of the older general practice population; 39% of patients had also received hospital care, physician-specialist or nursing home care. A multifactorial risk profile was observed in 59% and associated with increasing age, recurrent falling, falling at home and during lower level activity. The clustering of frailty-specific fall risks was higher than expected by chance. At follow-up, 46% of at-risk patients had received physical therapy, 47% were using assistive devices, and medication had been reviewed in 28% of patients taking psychopharmacy and 17% of patients with polypharmacy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study shows a high burden of care for fall-related injuries in older general practice patients and provides baseline data for its future monitoring.
authors.affiliation: OD Public Health and Surveillance, Scientific Institute of Public Health and nicole.boffin@wiv-isp.be.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Boffin
authors.affiliation: OD Public Health and Surveillance, Scientific Institute of Public Health and.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moreels
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Economic, Social and Political Sciences, and Solvay Business School, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Katrien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vanthomme
authors.affiliation: OD Public Health and Surveillance, Scientific Institute of Public Health and.
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Van Casteren
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D019338:Polypharmacy; D011320:Primary Health Care; D062486:Public Health Surveillance; D012307:Risk Factors; D012656:Self-Help Devices; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology
keywords: Accidental falls; comorbidity; family practice; public health surveillance.