title: A multidisciplinary intervention to prevent subsequent falls and health service use following fall-related paramedic care: a randomised controlled trial.
abstract: approximately 25% of older people who fall and receive paramedic care are not subsequently transported to an emergency department (ED). These people are at high risk of future falls, unplanned healthcare use and poor health outcomes.
  
  
  
  to evaluate the impact of a fall-risk assessment and tailored fall prevention interventions among older community-dwellers not transported to ED following a fall on subsequent falls and health service use.
  
  
  
  Randomised controlled trial involving 221 non-transported older fallers from Sydney, Australia.
  
  
  
  the intervention targeted identified risk factors and used existing services to implement physiotherapy, occupational therapy, geriatric assessment, optometry and medication management interventions as appropriate. The control group received individualised written fall prevention advice.
  
  
  
  primary outcome measures were rates of falls and injurious falls. Secondary outcome measures were ambulance re-attendance, ED presentation, hospitalisation and quality of life over 12 months. Analysis was by intention-to-treat and per-protocol according to self-reported adherence using negative binominal regression and multivariate analysis.
  
  
  
  ITT analysis showed no significant difference between groups in subsequent falls, injurious falls and health service use. The per-protocol analyses revealed that the intervention participants who adhered to the recommended interventions had significantly lower rates of falls compared to non-adherers (IRR: 0.53 (95% CI : 0.32-0.87)).
  
  
  
  a multidisciplinary intervention did not prevent falls in older people who received paramedic care but were not transported to ED. However the intervention was effective in those who adhered to the recommendations.
  
  
  
  the trial is registered at the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN 12611000503921, 13/05/2011.
authors.affiliation: Falls Balance Injury Research Centre, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: A Stefanie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Mikolaizak
authors.affiliation: Falls Balance Injury Research Centre, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lord
authors.affiliation: The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tiedemann
authors.affiliation: Western Sydney University, School of Science and Health, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.affiliation: Post Acute Care Services, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Sydney, New South Wales 2031, Australia.
authors.forename: Gideon A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Caplan
authors.affiliation: University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bendall
authors.affiliation: Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.affiliation: Falls Balance Injury Research Centre, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Lyndell
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Webster
authors.affiliation: Falls Balance Injury Research Centre, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Narelle
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.affiliation: Falls Balance Injury Research Centre, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.affiliation: Falls Balance Injury Research Centre, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ramsay
authors.affiliation: Falls Balance Injury Research Centre, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Rourke
authors.affiliation: Falls Balance Injury Research Centre, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Roylance
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.|UNSW Prince of Wales Clinical School, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Close
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012008:Recurrence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013812:Therapeutics; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: accidental falls; aged; multidisciplinary intervention; older people; pre-hospital emergency care