Article Text
PDF
Abstract
Objectives Older adults living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are at high risk for falls. Interventions to prevent falls and fall-related injury in this population may be individual-level or system-focused interventions. However, relatively little attention has been given to research on system-focused interventions. This scoping review seeks to synthesise previous studies on the effects of system-focused interventions for fall prevention in LTCFs.
Methods We searched Ovid-Medline, CINAHL and Embase databases from 2007 to 2024 following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for Scoping Reviews. We conducted a narrative synthesis to summarise findings from the included studies.
Results In the initial search, 403 studies were identified and underwent title and abstract screening resulting in 116 articles retrieved for full-text review. 20 studies were included in the final data extraction. System-level fall prevention interventions evaluated in LTCFs include (1) multicomponent and multidisciplinary programmes, (2) environmental adaptations, (3) technological adaptations, and (4) staff education and training programmes. 11 out of 17 included quantitative studies reported significant effects of system-focused interventions to reduce falls in LTCFs.
Conclusions This scoping review reveals the effectiveness of system-level fall prevention strategies in LTCFs. Enhancing training, customising tools and fostering a supportive leadership culture are vital for improving fall prevention practices in LTCFs.
- Fall
- Older People
- Interventions
- Residential Institution
Data availability statement
Data sharing not applicable as no datasets generated and/or analysed for this study.
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Data availability statement
Data sharing not applicable as no datasets generated and/or analysed for this study.
Footnotes
DW and AU contributed equally.
Contributors DW and AU contributed equally to this paper and are joint first authors. Both were involved in the study design, data analysis, drafting, and revision of the manuscript. WJ and SL contributed to the study concept and design and provided critical review of the manuscript. HJT contributed to the study concept and design, performed data analysis, reviewed the manuscript, and is the guarantor, accepting full responsibility for the integrity of the entire work.
Funding This work was supported by a grant from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (CDC 1R49CE003087). We extend our acknowledgement for the assistance of Caitlin Maloy, University of Washington Health Sciences Librarian, for her expert contribution to the search strategy.
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.