| Study characteristics |
| Methods |
RCT |
| Participants |
Setting: Hoensbroek, The Netherlands
N = 316
Sample: people registered with 6 general medical practices (66% women)
Age (years): mean 77.2 (SD 5.1)
Inclusion criteria: aged ≥ 70; community‐dwelling; 2 or more falls in previous 6 months or score 3 or more on mobility scale of Sickness Impact Profile
Exclusion criteria: bed ridden; fully wheelchair dependent; terminally ill; awaiting nursing home placement; receiving regular care from community nurse |
| Interventions |
1. 5 home visits from community nurse over 1 year. Screened for medical, environmental, and behavioural risk factors for falls and mobility impairment; advice, referrals, and "other actions"
2. Control: usual care |
| Outcomes |
1. Number of people falling |
| Duration of the study |
18 months (12‐month data used in analyses in the review) |
| Notes |
|
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Low risk |
Randomisation by computer‐generated random numbers |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Insufficient information to permit judgement |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)
All outcomes |
Unclear risk |
Participants and nurses conducting home visits in intervention group were not blinded. Partial blinding of other health professionals. Quote: "The doctors and healthcare staff dealing with the participants were not told which patients were allocated to the usual care group". Insufficient evidence to make judgement on impact of lack of blinding. |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
Falls and fallers |
Unclear risk |
Falls reported by participants who were aware of their group allocation. Quote: "During follow up participants recorded falls in a weekly diary." No mention of blinding of study personnel collecting data. |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
Fallers |
Low risk |
SeeAppendix 3 for method of assessment |
| Risk of bias in recall of falls |
Low risk |
Quote: "During follow up participants recorded falls in a weekly diary." |
