In the United States, falls among older adults are a major public health issues. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a fall as “An event which results in a person coming to rest inadvertently on the ground or floor or other lower level” (2004, p. 5), but “not as a result of a major intrinsic event (such as stroke) or overwhelming hazard” (Masud & Morris, 2001, p. 3). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention ([CDC], 2016), in the U.S. almost one out of three community-dwelling older adults who are 65 years or older fall each year. The falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries such as head injury, and bone fracture. Moreover, fall-related injuries often lead to hospitalization, institutionalization, and even death.
Significance of the Problem
The CDC (2016) reported that each year about 2.5 million people aged 65 and older are treated in emergency departments for falls-related injuries, and more than 700,000 are hospitalized. In addition, nearly one-fourth of older adults died within 6 months due to hip fractures as a result of falls, and 50% of survivals of …show more content…
However, there is a gap in current practice and older adults are not screened by primary care providers (PCPs) for fall risk and very few older adults use evidence-based fall prevention strategies (Phelan, Mahoney, Voit, & Stevens, 2015). After the completion of the literature review, a search for updated guidelines were conducted to find the recent evidence-based practice guideline to prevent falls. The guideline “Prevention of falls in community-dwelling older adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement”; an updated version of the 1996 USPSTF recommendation statement was found on the National Guideline Clearinghouse
Significance of the Problem
The CDC (2016) reported that each year about 2.5 million people aged 65 and older are treated in emergency departments for falls-related injuries, and more than 700,000 are hospitalized. In addition, nearly one-fourth of older adults died within 6 months due to hip fractures as a result of falls, and 50% of survivals of …show more content…
However, there is a gap in current practice and older adults are not screened by primary care providers (PCPs) for fall risk and very few older adults use evidence-based fall prevention strategies (Phelan, Mahoney, Voit, & Stevens, 2015). After the completion of the literature review, a search for updated guidelines were conducted to find the recent evidence-based practice guideline to prevent falls. The guideline “Prevention of falls in community-dwelling older adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement”; an updated version of the 1996 USPSTF recommendation statement was found on the National Guideline Clearinghouse