Evidence-Based Practice to reduce the Problem of Falls among Elderly Population

Evidence-Based Practice Question (One sentence)

Older adults aged 65 years and above suffer falls and fall-related injuries that restrict their functionality, mobility and independence and that could also be fatal. Falls and injuries caused by falls is the leading cause of death among the elderly and a major global health concern. This justifies evidence-based intervention that is discussed below with rationale.

Setting and Population

Older adults experiencing the majority of falls in clinical and community dwelling centers suffer from a combination of risk factors. Falls and injuries on account of falls not only compromise physical agility of older adults but also impose economic trouble for the families of the aged as well as the state for the consequences of hospitalization together with nursing care placement.

Rationale for Evidence-Based Practice

An approach that focuses on a variety of factors while assessing and controlling changeable threat determinants is an effective evidence-based intervention to reduce falls among the aged who have had experience of recurrent falls. Phelan, Aerts, Dowler, Eckstorm and Casey (2016) carried out an enquiry to evaluate the magnitude at which individuals whose age is more than sixty-five years and an experience of recurrent falls or something connected with fall treatment were given many hazards compounded evaluation and assistance within the locale of an educational primary care health center among 116 patients. They recommended an evidence-based therapy for two known threatening causes namely, medications and home safety. The findings indicated scope for enhancing several factors involved fall related dangers estimation and administration in cased geriatric population who are at an increased fall propensity in primary care.

Multifaceted and multi-level evidence-based interventions are required to prevent falls among the elderly. Smith, Frieson, Warner, Tan and Ory (2018) pointed out that community efforts should be integrated throughout old age treatment and caring systems, public health organizations, and clinics to consolidate the arrangements that could enlighten, monitor, diagnose, heal, recuperate, and ameliorate the aged people resulting in eventually declined frequencies of dangers linked with falls as well as wounds or fatality. Further, professionals, organizations, official institutes, teams, and patrols, units should collaborate with the mission of addressing falls adequately.

References

Phelan, E. A., Aerts, S., Dowler, D., Eckstrom, E., & Casey, C. M. (2016). Adoption of evidence-based fall prevention practices in primary care for older adults with a history of falls. Frontiers in public health, 4, 190.

Smith, M. L., Frieson, D., Warner, C., Tan, M. P., & Ory, M. G. (2018). Evidence-based practices to reduce falls and fall-related injuries among older adults. Frontiers in public health, 6, 222.