Jennifer L. Wiler, MD, MBA, FACEP reviewing Zozula A et al. Emerg Med J 2016 Jan 11.

Fall risk screening by prehospital providers is feasible, but whether it improves outcomes is not clear.

Primary care referrals to fall prevention programs for geriatric patients have previously been shown to be effective. To assess whether screening and referral by prehospital providers is also effective, researchers conducted a systematic review of the current literature describing prehospital fall risk screening and referral programs for community-dwelling adults aged ≥60 years.

Six studies (2 randomized, 4 nonrandomized) were included in the analysis. Most described the use of a semistructured risk assessment or chief-complaint–based referral intervention by emergency medical services (EMS) professionals. One unblinded randomized controlled trial demonstrated a 14.3% absolute reduction in annual fall risk. Rates of successful follow-up for EMS risk assessment programs ranged from 9.8% to 81.0%. The authors concluded that no high-quality studies have been performed to date.

Citation(s):

Zozula A et al. Prehospital emergency services screening and referral to reduce falls in community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review. Emerg Med J 2016 Jan 11; [e-pub].

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