FALL PREVENTION PRIMER FOR THE PRIMARY CARE PRACTIONER:

<p><strong>ABSTRACT:</strong></p><p>One of three older adults age 65+ fall each year, and every 20 minutes an older adult dies due to injuries sustained during a fall.  Yet, most patients do not report falls to their physician.  Primary care practitioners (PCPs) are well positioned to screen for fall risk and add proactive referral patterns to both well-selected practitioners and evidence-based fall prevention (EBFP) programs designed to help older patients stay healthy, active, and independent.</p><p>The purposes of this review are to summarize the data related to the impact of falls; review efficient and reliable screening tools that identify individuals at high fall risk; describe appropriate referrals that facilitate a match between individual specific risk factors and interventions; and, highlight evidence-based fall prevention (EBFP) programs available to significantly decrease fall risk with outstanding return on investment.</p><p>Simple administrative changes in a PCP’s practice accompanied by appropriate referrals will result in proactive fall prevention including lower rates of falls and fall injuries and fewer hospitalizations and/or hospital readmissions. Fall risk screening can be built into practice to seamlessly add services without impacting practitioner productivity. Additionally, reporting fall risk screening and prevention activities in the Physician Quality Reporting System will positively impact practice Medicare reimbursement rates.</p>