Experiences of general practitioners, home care nurses, physiotherapists and seniors involved in a multidisciplinary home-based fall prevention programme: a mixed method study.
The feasibility of effective fall prevention programmes (FPPs) for use in daily clinical practice needs to be assessed in the specific healthcare settings. The aim of this study was to explore the perceived benefits and barriers of an evidence-based, home-based pilot FPP among the involved seniors, general practitioners (GPs), home care nurses (HCNs) and physiotherapists (PTs), in order to develop tailored implementation strategies.



The study was a mixed method study using an 'exploratory sequential design'. In the initial qualitative sequence, semi-structured interviews were performed with four participants from each group and analysed using a deductive content analysis. In the successive quantitative sequence, target group specific postal surveys were conducted with all participants. The triangulation of both steps allowed merging the in-depth experiences from the interviews with the general findings from the survey.



In this evaluation study participated 17 seniors (mean age 79.7 (SD +/-6.2) years). 40 GPs, 12 HCNs and four PTs. All were satisfied with the organization and processes of the FPP. The main benefit, perceived by each target group, was the usefulness of the FPP in detecting risk of falling at the senior's home. A low number of recruiting GPs and HCNs, divergent opinions of the health professionals towards the aim of the FPP as well as no perceived need for changes by the seniors were the most important barriers to the participation of (more) seniors.



Multidisciplinary home-based fall prevention is a useful approach to detect the risk of falling in seniors. The barriers identified need to be resolved through tailored strategies to facilitate the successful nationwide implementation of this pilot FPP.
Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Physiotherapy, Technikumstr. 71, Winterthur, 8401, Switzerland.
Astrid E
AE
Amacher
Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Physiotherapy, Technikumstr. 71, Winterthur, 8401, Switzerland.
Irina
I
Nast
Swiss League Against Rheumatism, Josefstr. 92, Zurich, 8005, Switzerland.
Barbara
B
Zindel
Department of Rheumatology, Central Hospital of Lucerne, 6000, Lucerne 16, Switzerland.
Lukas
L
Schmid
Swiss League Against Rheumatism, Josefstr. 92, Zurich, 8005, Switzerland.
Valérie
V
Krafft
Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Physiotherapy, Technikumstr. 71, Winterthur, 8401, Switzerland. karin.niedermann@zhaw.ch.
Karin
K
Niedermann
D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000458:organization & administration; D058005:General Practitioners; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064691:Nurses, Community Health; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D059825:Physical Therapists; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000458:organization & administration; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland
Elderly; Fall prevention; Implementation; Multidisciplinary care; Physiotherapy