| Study characteristics |
| Methods |
RCT (cluster‐randomised by household if more than one person per household) |
| Participants |
Setting: 14 general practices, Hamburg, Germany
N = 2580
Sample: registered with participating practices (63% women)
Age (years): mean 71.8 (SD 7.6)
Inclusion criteria: aged ≥ 60
Exclusion criteria: need for human help or nursing care; cognitive impairment; terminal disease |
| Interventions |
1. High‐risk appraisal with GP feedback. Patients chose reinforcement with group sessions or home visits
2. Control: usual care |
| Outcomes |
1. Number of fallers |
| Duration of the study |
1 year |
| Notes |
Health promotion rather than fall prevention specifically |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Quote: "computer generated allocation sequence" |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Quote: "randomly allocated to intervention and control groups by the independent study centre" |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)
All outcomes |
Unclear risk |
Participants and personnel not blind to allocated group but impact of non‐blinding unclear |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
Falls and fallers |
Low risk |
Questionnaire completed independently by participant at home, and then "All data were double entered by staff blinded for subject allocation." |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
Fallers |
Low risk |
SeeAppendix 3 for method of assessment |
| Risk of bias in recall of falls |
High risk |
Retrospective recall at 12 months |
