An Evaluation of a Community Fall Prevention Program to Prevent Recurrent Falls among Elder Adults

Background/Objectives: Falls are the leading cause of fatal traumatic injury and the most common cause of non-fatal trauma-related hospital admissions among the elderly. With the aging U.S. population, the incidence of injury from falls is increasing. Emergency Medical Service (EMS) personnel are often the first responders in assessing and treating older adults who have fallen. Some fall victims are transported to the hospital, but many do not require hospital transport, in which case prehospital personnel are the sole initial providers. While some hospitals have begun to report programs to assess and mitigate fall risk in trauma patients, fall prevention programs have not been described for patients treated only in the field. The purpose of this study is to describe our progress in creating a community fall prevention program. This program is based upon the premise that EMS personnel are in a prime position to provide interventions to prevent future falls. Design: This is a retrospective analysis of data from the Ventura County (VC) EMS as well as from the Elderly Fall Prevention Program (EFPP). VC-EMS personnel were trained to identify fall risk patients and offer program services following a fall-related 911 call. This outcome study compared the fall rate of two groups among the elderly, one of which received EBEP. Group assignment was based on voluntary participation in the evidence-based exercise programs (EBEP). We also compared and tracked the number of fall related EMS calls during the study period to evaluate the effectiveness of the fall prevention program. The study period was from 2013 to 2016. Results: 878 patients receiving the EBEP between 2014-2016 showed a significant decrease in falls (6% vs. 18%, p <0.01) compared to patients who did not receive the EBEP. The number of fall-related EMS calls increased during the study period; however, there was a decline in the proportion of fall-related EMS calls that required hospital transportation from 77.6% in 2013 to 65.1% in 2015. Conclusion: Volunteer participation in this evidence-based exercise program helps reduce future falls in a vulnerable population. Additionally, this study shows that EMS can successfully recruit and implement a fall prevention program.