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Person-focused interventions for fall risk assessment, fall prevention and fall injury prevention in long-term care facilities: a scoping review
  1. Wonkyung Jung1,
  2. Sungwon Lim2,
  3. Dahee Wi3,
  4. Andrew Ustach4,
  5. Hilaire J Thompson5,6
  1. 1Connell School of Nursing, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
  2. 2Department of Nursing, Dongguk University-WISE, Gyeongju, South Korea
  3. 3Human Development Nursing Science, University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing, Chicago, Illinois, USA
  4. 4School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
  5. 5School of Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
  6. 6Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Wonkyung Jung; wonkyung.jung{at}bc.edu

Abstract

Objective Falls are a significant concern in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) as fall-related injuries can result in functional impairment, disability and death. Older adults living in LTCFs are at greater risk for falls than those in the community. Using scoping review methodology, we aimed to synthesise evidence examining intervention effects of person-focused interventions for risk assessment and prevention in LTCFs in order to identify evidence-based practices in LTCFs.

Methods We included three databases (Ovid-Medline, CINAHL and EMBASE) to identify original research from 2007 to 2022 in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guideline. From the initial search, we identified 988 articles. Following the removal of duplicates, title and abstract screening, and full-text review against inclusion/exclusion criteria, 20 studies remained for analysis. Then, we conducted a narrative synthesis to summarise the included studies.

Results Identified evidence-based interventions for fall prevention include (1) exercise programmes (eg, high-intensity functional exercise, aerobic exercise, short stick exercises, etc); (2) multifactorial programmes; and (3) other interventions (eg, lavender olfactory stimulation). Outcomes of included studies included the number of falls, fall rate, risk of falls and fear of falls before and after interventions.

Conclusion Overall, most studies reported significant effects of person-focused interventions in LTCFs. Available evidence supports that well-designed person-focused interventions can reduce falls and fear of falls for individuals in LTCFs.

  • Older People
  • Fall
  • Interventions
  • Residential Institution

Data availability statement

Data sharing not applicable as no datasets generated and/or analysed for this study.

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Data availability statement

Data sharing not applicable as no datasets generated and/or analysed for this study.

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Footnotes

  • WJ and SL are joint first authors.

  • WJ and SL contributed equally.

  • Contributors WJ and SL were responsible for the study design, data analysis, and drafting and revising the manuscript. AU and DW contributed to developing the study concept and reviewed the manuscript. HT contributed to the study concept and design, data analysis, and manuscript review, and ensured the integrity of the work. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. HT serves as the guarantor for this study.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

  • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.