| Study characteristics |
| Methods |
RCT |
| Participants |
Setting: A&E, Newcastle, United Kingdom
N = 313
Sample: people presenting at A&E with a fall or fall‐related injury (72% women)
Age (years): mean 77 (SD 7)
Inclusion criteria: age > 65 years, presenting at A&E with a fall or fall‐related injury; history of at least 1 additional fall in previous year; community‐dwelling
Exclusion criteria: cognitively impaired (MMSE < 24); > 1 previous episode of syncope; immobile; live > 15 miles away from A&E; registered blind; aphasic; clear medical explanation for their fall, e.g. acute myocardial infarction, stroke, epilepsy; enrolled in another study |
| Interventions |
1. Multifactorial post‐fall assessment and intervention. Hospital‐based medical assessment and intervention: fall history and examination including medications, vision, cardiovascular assessment, laboratory blood tests, ECG. Home‐based physiotherapist assessment and intervention: gait, balance, assistive devices, footwear. Home‐based OT home hazard assessment and interventions.
2. Control: usual care |
| Outcomes |
1. Rate of falls
2. Number of people falling |
| Duration of the study |
1 year |
| Notes |
Only 1 participant in residential/nursing care. More detailed description of intervention on journal website (www.ageing.oupjournals.org) |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Randomised by computer‐generated block randomisation |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Insufficient information to permit judgement |
| 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 |
All participants used monthly falls diaries. Quote: "These data were processed by a researcher blinded to randomisation and otherwise unconnected with the study." |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
Fractures |
Low risk |
Quote: "Secondary outcome measures [including fractures] were recorded with interviewer‐led questionnaires ... The interviewer was blind to randomisation". "Hospital records were checked retrospectively at 1 year for all participants." |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
Falls |
Low risk |
SeeAppendix 3 for method of assessment |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
Fallers |
Low risk |
SeeAppendix 3 for method of assessment |
| Risk of bias in recall of falls |
Low risk |
Prospective. Falls data collected using fall diaries returned 4‐weekly. |
