| Study characteristics |
| Methods |
RCT |
| Participants |
Setting: Wisconsin, USA
N = 60
Sample: "frail elderly" (proportion of women not stated)
Age (years): no description
Inclusion criteria: aged ≥ 75 years, living at home, using home services (i.e. Meals on Wheels, Telecare or Lifeline)
Exclusion criteria: none described |
| Interventions |
1. Home modifications plus home exercise programme monitored by a "trained volunteer buddy"
2. Simple home modifications
3. Control: no intervention |
| Outcomes |
1. "Falls" |
| Duration of the study |
1 year |
| Notes |
Abstract only |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Quote: "randomly assigned" to 3 arms. Method not described. |
| 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 implementing the intervention not blind to allocated group, but impact of non‐blinding unclear |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
Falls and fallers |
Unclear risk |
Falls reported by participants who were aware of their group allocation. Does not state whether outcome assessors were blind to allocation. |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
Falls |
Unclear risk |
SeeAppendix 3 for method of assessment. Insufficient information to permit judgement. |
| Risk of bias in recall of falls |
Unclear risk |
Falls monitored by weekly telephone calls. Interval recall over a short period. |
