Printer Friendly
The Free Library
14,495,914 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

Changes in physical therapy providers' use of fall prevention strategies following a multicomponent behavioral change intervention.


One third of community-dwelling adults over age 65 years fall each year. (1) People who experience a fall are at increased risk for subsequent falls. (2) Major injuries, including fractures, head trauma, and soft tissue injuries Soft tissue injury is damage of the soft tissue of the body. These types of injuries are a major source of pain and disability. The four fundamental tissues that are affected are the epithelial, muscular, nervous and connective tissues. , occur in about 10% of individual falls. (1) Falls have been associated with decreased physical and social functioning social functioning,
n the ability of the individual to interact in the normal or usual way in society; can be used as a measure of quality of care.
 as well as a 3- to 6-fold increased risk for nursing home placement. (3)

Observational studies observational studies,
n.pl an investigational method involving description of the associations be-tween interventions and outcomes. Outcomes research and practice audits are examples of this investigational method.
 (2,4,5) have shown falls in community-dwelling older people to be associated with several risk factors, including muscle weakness, gait and balance deficits, polypharmacy, and postural hypotension postural hypotension
n.
See orthostatic hypotension.


postural hypotension Orthostatic hypotension, see there
. Falling appears to result from the accumulated effect of these and other multiple risk factors. (2,6) In several randomized controlled trials A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is a scientific procedure most commonly used in testing medicines or medical procedures. RCTs are considered the most reliable form of scientific evidence because it eliminates all forms of spurious causality.  (RCTs), (1,5,7-11) both single and multifactorial multifactorial /mul·ti·fac·to·ri·al/ (mul?te-fak-tor´e-al)
1. of or pertaining to, or arising through the action of many factors.

2.
 intervention strategies have proven effective in both decreasing these risk factors and reducing falls. In particular, physical therapy interventions, including gait training The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter.
Please help [ improve the introduction] to meet Wikipedia's layout standards. You can discuss the issue on the talk page.
, progressive balance exercises, and home evaluation for environmental hazards 'Environmental hazard' is a generic term for any situation or state of events which poses a threat to the surrounding environment. This term incorporates topics like pollution and Natural Hazards such as storms and earthquakes. , have proven effective, both as a single intervention and as part of a multifactorial intervention strategy. (12) Although a wealth of evidence suggests that interventions targeting fall risk factors are effective, it remains unknown whether, or to what extent, this body of evidence has affected the clinical practice of outpatient physical therapy providers.

The Connecticut Collaboration for Fall Prevention (CCFP CCFP Child Care Food Program
CCFP Collaborative Convective Forecast Product (NOAA AWC)
CCFP Center for Civil Force Protection
CCFP Critical Care Flight Paramedic
CCFP Certificant of the College of Family Practice of Canada
) program is an ongoing, community-wide effort in the north-central Connecticut area to translate RCT RCT Randomized Controlled Trial
RCT Regimental Combat Team (infantry regiment with their own artillery, engineers, medical and tanks)
RCT Rollercoaster Tycoon
RCT Randomized Clinical Trial
RCT Rhondda Cynon Taff
 evidence into clinical practice. The objective is to embed em·bed   also im·bed
v. em·bed·ded, em·bed·ding, em·beds

v.tr.
1. To fix firmly in a surrounding mass: embed a post in concrete; fossils embedded in shale.
 multifactorial fall risk factor assessment and management throughout the health care system. The focus of the CCFP effort is on health care providers caring for ambulatory, community-living older adults, the group for which evidence of effectiveness of fall prevention efforts is the strongest. Physicians, nurses, discharge planners, and physical therapists and occupational therapists occupational therapist A person trained to help people manage daily activities of living–dressing, cooking, etc, and other activities that promote recovery and regaining vocational skills Salary $51K + 4% bonus. See ADL.  working in home health care, ambulatory settings, and hospitals are involved in the CCFP effort. Outpatient physical therapy providers, the focus of the current study, represent one arm of the ongoing CCFP effort.

In a sample of outpatient physical therapy providers exposed to efforts to increase knowledge and promote relevant risk factor assessment and management, the aims of this study were: (1) to describe the physical therapy providers' knowledge of, and attitudes toward, fall risk factors and fall reduction strategies; (2) to assess their self-reported behaviors and practices related to use of fall reduction strategies for their patients; and (3) to identify factors associated with an increase in use of fall reduction strategies for patients in their practices.

Method

Setting and Participants

North-central Connecticut was the designated intervention area and includes all of Hartford and surrounding suburbs and rural areas. Of the more than 871,000 people residing in the north-central Connecticut area, 11% are 70 years of age or older. (13) All hospital-based and freestanding free·stand·ing  
adj.
Standing or operating independently of anything else: a freestanding bell tower; a freestanding maternity clinic.
 outpatient physical therapy practices in this area that see patients 70 years of age or older were identified via 2 methods. First, a physical therapy provider familiar with the practices in the area compiled a list, and second, telephone book listings were accessed through several Web sites via the Internet. Practices were contacted by letter to inform them of the CCFP effort and were then individually contacted by telephone and an outreach visit was scheduled. A total of 129 outpatient rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy.  practices were identified, including both freestanding and hospital-based practices. Of those, 8 practices refused to participate and 2 practices did not provide data on their physical therapy providers. The sample of physical therapy providers, therefore, was derived from 119 practices. Three hundred physical therapy providers were employed in these practices. Potential participants for the present study included all outpatient physical therapy providers, including physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, who had been exposed to CCFP efforts, defined as having received one outreach visit by April 1, 2003. One hundred forty-two physical therapy providers met this criterion. Ninety-four providers eventually participated in the study. Figure 1 presents the flow of potential participants and the number of individual physical therapy providers affiliated with the targeted 119 outpatient rehabilitation practices.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

The number of physical therapy providers interviewed from each practice ranged from 1 to 5. Individual participants were excluded only if they relocated prior to completion of a questionnaire or if an interview could not be scheduled.

Baseline characteristics baseline characteristic Medical practice An initial finding or value in a Pt, before any formal intervention  of the cohort are shown in Table 1. Overall, the group was predominantly female (69%), and the majority were physical therapists (91%). Direct patient care accounted for the majority of their work hours (mean hours per week=31.0, SD=9.6), with older patients (70 years of age and older) accounting for one third of those hours.

Intervention

Based on the available literature that suggests that multiple approaches are most effective when professional and organizational behavioral change is the objective, (14) the CCFP program uses a multifaceted mul·ti·fac·et·ed  
adj.
Having many facets or aspects. See Synonyms at versatile.

Adj. 1. multifaceted - having many aspects; "a many-sided subject"; "a multifaceted undertaking"; "multifarious interests"; "the multifarious
 approach to encourage the adoption of fall risk factor assessment and management in the care of older patients. The professional and organizational behavioral change strategies used include outreach visits; procuring support for the CCFP effort by facility administrators and supervisors; training manuals with instructions for implementing components of fall risk assessment and management; patient and physical therapy provider risk factor checklists and patient handouts; a Web site from which all materials could be downloaded; working groups of local physical therapy providers who adapted the fall prevention protocols for practical implementation and who worked with investigators in encouraging other physical therapy providers to implement fall prevention practices; "opinion leaders," defined as providers whose opinion was valued by the rest of the group; encouragement of early adopters, or those providers who are first to adopt new ideas "New Ideas" is the debut single by Scottish New Wave/Indie Rock act The Dykeenies. It was first released as a Double A-side with "Will It Happen Tonight?" on July 17, 2006. The band also recorded a video for the track.  and put into practice new behaviors; newsletter reminders to the physical therapy providers about various aspects of the CCFP program; and media attention to heighten height·en  
v. height·ened, height·en·ing, height·ens

v.tr.
1. To raise or increase the quantity or degree of; intensify.

2. To make high or higher; raise.

v.intr.
 community awareness of falls as an important clinical problem. (14-21) All of these strategies were in place in the north-central Connecticut area during the study. The CCFP efforts focus on 6 risk factors based on RCT evidence that interventions targeting these risk factors are effective at reducing fall rates. (1,5,7-11) These risk factors are: gait or balance impairments, multiple medications, postural hypotension, sensory and perceptual deficits, foot and footwear problems, (22,23) and environmental hazards.

The outreach visits were the primary strategy and included a presentation, in the physical therapy providers' offices, of the 6 risk factors along with the recommended management and specific strategies for incorporating the assessment and management into their clinical practice. A team that included a physician, a nurse, and a physical therapist made the outreach visits, and all physical therapy providers included in the study were exposed to a visit at least once during the study period. Sessions usually occurred before or after work or during lunch and lasted for approximately 1 hour. Strategies for fall-related assessment included examination of gait and balance; examination of the feet for calluses, bunions, and nail problems; review of the medications for number and types; and examination of blood pressure in the supine supine /su·pine/ (soo´pin) lying with the face upward, or on the dorsal surface.

su·pine
adj.
1. Lying on the back; having the face upward.

2.
 and standing positions. Fall-related interventions suggested for incorporation into physical therapist management included progressive balance exercises, gait training, referral to a podiatrist Podiatrist
A physician who specializes in the medical care and treatment of the human foot.

Mentioned in: Shin Splints

podiatrist 
 if foot and footwear problems were noted or to the primary care provider if the patient was noted to have orthostatic hypotension Orthostatic Hypotension Definition

Orthostatic hypotension is an abnormal decrease in blood pressure when a person stands up. This may lead to fainting.
 or to be taking multiple medications. The physical therapy intervention was essentially the same as that described for the Yale FICSIT FICSIT Fraility & Injuries: Cooperative Studies of Intervention Techniques, pron 'fix-it' Geriatrics A series of randomized placebo-controlled trials that assessed various interventions, in ↓ falls and frailty in elderly Pts. See Geriatrics, Gerontology.  trial. (24)

Potential incentives and barriers also were addressed during these visits, and easy-to-use materials were provided in the form of a training manual. The training manual included the strategies for assessing and managing each of the risk factors and patient handouts. A one-page evaluation and management form also was developed for use in the patient charts. Because the physical therapy providers practiced in the area where the CCFP effort was occurring, they were exposed to the additional behavioral change strategies described earlier. During the outreach visit, names, addresses, and telephone numbers of physical therapy providers were obtained for the purpose of constructing a database. The participants were informed that they would be contacted at a later date to provide feedback about the CCFP program.

Interview

Participants were contacted, by telephone or electronic mail, at least 6 weeks after the outreach visit, with a range of 6 to 24 weeks, and invited to complete an in-depth telephone interview at their convenience. One of the authors (CJB CJB Contact Jonge Bedrijven (Dutch)
CJB Coimbatore, India - Peelamedu (Airport Code)
CJB Congressional Justification Book
CJB Criminal Justice Bureau
CJB Criminal Justice Barriers
) or a trained research nurse administered a telephone questionnaire to all consenting physical therapy providers according to according to
prep.
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.

2. In keeping with: according to instructions.

3.
 procedures approved by the Institutional Review Board of Yale University Yale University, at New Haven, Conn.; coeducational. Chartered as a collegiate school for men in 1701 largely as a result of the efforts of James Pierpont, it opened at Killingworth (now Clinton) in 1702, moved (1707) to Saybrook (now Old Saybrook), and in 1716 was  School of Medicine. The questionnaire was a mixture of open and closed-ended questions designed to obtain qualitative and quantitative information that focused on knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practice behaviors concerning fall risk assessment and management. Closed-ended questions were scored using a Likert-type scale, with responses ranging from 1 to 4. For example, attitude questions asked how important the physical therapy providers thought the risk factor was for managing patients in their clinical practice, and responses for these questions were scored as: 1="not very important," 2="somewhat important," 3="moderately important," and 4="very important." Responses varied depending on the question asked, but all closed-ended questions had 4 possible answers, with 1 being the lowest rating and 4 being the highest rating. Demographic data and practice-related information also were obtained. The time required to complete the telephone questionnaire ranged from 25 to 40 minutes.

To assess interrater reliability, the 2 interviewers each administered the questionnaire to the same 8 physical therapy providers within a 48-hour period. Interviewers were masked to each other's questionnaire results. Test-retest reliability test-retest reliability Psychology A measure of the ability of a psychologic testing instrument to yield the same result for a single Pt at 2 different test periods, which are closely spaced so that any variation detected reflects reliability of the instrument  data were assessed in 9 participants by repeating the interview 7 days after the initial interview without knowledge of the original responses. For both interrater and test-retest reliability data, weighted kappa Kappa

Used in regression analysis, Kappa represents the ratio of the dollar price change in the price of an option to a 1% change in the expected price volatility.

Notes:
Remember, the price of the option increases simultaneously with the volatility.
 statistics were calculated for the 17 four-level data questions (ie, all questions that asked participants to rate on a Likert scale Likert scale A subjective scoring system that allows a person being surveyed to quantify likes and preferences on a 5-point scale, with 1 being the least important, relevant, interesting, most ho-hum, or other, and 5 being most excellent, yeehah important, etc  from 1 to 4). Weighted summary kappas of .65 and .64 were obtained for interrater and test-retest reliability, respectively, suggesting good reliability. (25) Answers that were either 2 points more or less than the previous score on the ordinal scale ordinal scale (or´dn  were considered to be outliers, an event that occurred in less than 4% of the responses.

Outcome Measures

The primary outcome measures were the physical therapy providers' post-CCFP self-report of use of fall prevention strategies with their patients and a change in use of fall prevention strategies from before to after exposure to CCFP outreach efforts. Participants were asked to compare their fall prevention practice behaviors a year ago (pre-CCFP) with their current behaviors (post-CCFP). Specifically, they were asked to respond to the following 2 questions: "Thinking back a year ago, how often did you consider fall prevention in your routine care of older adults?" and "In your clinical practice now, how often do you consider fall prevention in your routine care of older adults?" A change in behavior was defined as changing one or more levels on the 4-level ordinal scale, which ranged from "almost never or never" to "almost always or always." If changes had been made, they were asked to give specific examples of the behaviors that had changed. To examine the open-ended questions A closed-ended question is a form of question, which normally can be answered with a simple "yes/no" dichotomous question, a specific simple piece of information, or a selection from multiple choices (multiple-choice question), if one excludes such non-answer responses as dodging a  about change in practice, the interviewers recorded all answers. One of the authors (CJB) and 2 other researchers independently coded the practice behaviors into broad categories. The coders discussed the categories and reached a consensus about the categories to be used in the coding. Categories chosen by the coders included an increase in assessment, education, referral, or awareness; increased use of exercises or training; and no change noted by the physical therapy provider. The individual physical therapy provider's answers and the category in which the answers had been placed were compared among the 3 coders. Any differences in coding were discussed and resolved by the coders.

The secondary outcomes were knowledge of, and attitudes toward, fall risk factor assessment and management strategies. To assess knowledge, providers were asked to list risk factors and available interventions that had been presented during the outreach visit. The number of risk factors and interventions listed were summed to create a composite variable for risk factor knowledge and knowledge of available interventions. To assess attitudes, participants were asked to rate, using a Likert-type scale, the importance of the 6 risk factors for falls in patients in their clinical practice and their confidence in the effectiveness of the strategies presented by the CCFP program, as previously described.

Data Analysis

Appropriate descriptive statistics descriptive statistics

see statistics.
, including frequencies, proportions, means, standard deviations In statistics, the average amount a number varies from the average number in a series of numbers.

(statistics) standard deviation - (SD) A measure of the range of values in a set of numbers.
, and medians, were developed for the characteristics of the study group and for each of the questions addressing knowledge, attitudes, and self-assessed behaviors. To investigate the relationship among demographics The attributes of people in a particular geographic area. Used for marketing purposes, population, ethnic origins, religion, spoken language, income and age range are examples of demographic data. , knowledge, attitudes, and the self-reported change in fall prevention behaviors, bivariate bi·var·i·ate  
adj.
Mathematics Having two variables: bivariate binomial distribution.

Adj. 1.
 analyses using Kendall rank correlation Noun 1. Kendall rank correlation - a nonparametric measure of the agreement between two rankings
Kendall's tau, tau coefficient of correlation

statistics - a branch of applied mathematics concerned with the collection and interpretation of quantitative data
 coefficients (26) were conducted. The Bowker test of symmetry was used to test the equality of the self-rated behaviors before and after exposure to the CCFP program. (27) Subsequently, the independent contributions of demographics (ie, age, sex, type of certification), knowledge, and attitudes to change in practice behaviors were explored using 2 logistic regression In statistics, logistic regression is a regression model for binomially distributed response/dependent variables. It is useful for modeling the probability of an event occurring as a function of other factors.  models. The first model used a change score for self-rated behaviors from before exposure to after exposure to the CCFP program. Due to a skewed skewed

curve of a usually unimodal distribution with one tail drawn out more than the other and the median will lie above or below the mean.

skewed Epidemiology adjective Referring to an asymmetrical distribution of a population or of data
 frequency distribution and small numbers in some categories, change scores were trichotomized into those with a decrease or no change, an increase of 1 point, or an increase of 2 or more points on the ordinal scale. The second model examined only the post-CCFP practice behavior score. In models with post-CCFP behaviors as the outcome measure, serf-reported pre-CCFP exposure practice behaviors was included as an independent variable. Models were fit using the backward elimination method. Analyses were carried out using SAS (1) (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, www.sas.com) A software company that specializes in data warehousing and decision support software based on the SAS System. Founded in 1976, SAS is one of the world's largest privately held software companies. See SAS System.  statistical software, version 8.01. * A probability value of less than .05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Table 2 presents the risk factors and available interventions named by the physical therapy providers when asked, in an open-ended fashion, to list any factors or interventions they could. The most frequently named risk factors were environmental hazards and gait or balance impairments. Multiple medications was named as a risk factor by 77% of the participants, a close third in frequency of responses to gait or balance impairments. Postural hypotension was named as a risk factor by 30% of the physical therapy providers.

The participants rated the importance of each of the 6 risk factors emphasized during the CCFP outreach visits and in the training materials to the patients in their clinical practice. Impaired gait or balance was considered very important by 76 physical therapy providers (81%). Multiple medications and environmental hazards were both rated as "very important" by 48 participants (51%). Postural hypotension was rated as "very important" by 43 participants (46%). The risk factor receiving the lowest percentage of "very important" ratings, by 36 participants (38%), was sensory and perceptual deficits.

Figure 2 presents a comparison of the frequency of use of fall prevention practice behaviors by examining the physical therapy providers' self-reported behaviors from a year ago and their self-reported behaviors after exposure to the CCFP behavioral change effort. Specifically, participants were asked how often they considered fall prevention in their clinical practice at the present time and a year ago. The Bowker test of symmetry comparing self-reported behaviors before and after exposure to the CCFP program showed the difference between the scores was significant (P<.0001) and is evidence that this difference was not due to chance alone. Figure 3 presents the distribution of change in physical therapy providers' self-reported fall prevention behaviors from before to after exposure to the CCFP program.

Table 3 presents the practice behaviors noted by the physical therapy providers to have changed from a year ago. We also analyzed the data excluding the data for the physical therapist assistants and found the same results, so data for the entire sample are presented in the table. The area of multiple medications was noted most frequently, with 77 participants (82%) noting a behavior change Behavior change refers to any transformation or modification of human behavior. Such changes can occur intentionally, through behavior modification, without intention, or change rapidly in situations of mental illness.  related to medication use. Forty-one participants reported referring patients to their primary care provider or pharmacist pharmacist /phar·ma·cist/ (fahr´mah-sist) one who is licensed to prepare and sell or dispense drugs and compounds, and to make up prescriptions.

phar·ma·cist
n.
 to review medications; 31 participants were now listing and reviewing patients' medication lists at intake; and 32 participants were doing some education, either verbally or with written handouts, about medications and fall risk. The areas of foot and footwear problems and sensory and perceptual deficits had the smallest amount of practice behavior change, with 50 and 58 providers noting no change in their practice behavior, respectively.

Using multivariate The use of multiple variables in a forecasting model.  logistic regression, we examined the independent contribution of demographics (age, sex, type of certification), post-CCFP knowledge, and attitudes to the primary outcome of an increase in self-reported fall prevention practice behaviors. In the multivariate model, using the change score from before exposure to after exposure to the CCFP effort as the outcome measure, only post-CCFP knowledge of the risk factors for falls was associated with an increase in self-reported fall prevention behaviors, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.5 (95% confidence interval confidence interval,
n a statistical device used to determine the range within which an acceptable datum would fall. Confidence intervals are usually expressed in percentages, typically 95% or 99%.
 [CI]=1.1-2.2). When post-CCFP behavior scores, which ranged from 1 ("almost never or never") to 4 ("almost always or always"), were used in the model as the outcome measure, similar results were demonstrated. Pre-CCFP behaviors had an OR of 2.4 (95% CI = 1.6-3.8), indicating that those who were frequently using the fall reduction strategies before the CCFP program were 2.4 times more likely to be using them after the program. Risk factor knowledge had an OR of 1.4 (95% CI = 1.0-2.1), indicating that those who had greater knowledge of fall risk factors were 1.4 times as likely to be using the strategies. None of the other factors were associated with post-CCFP practice behaviors in either model.

Discussion and Conclusion

The participants reported an increase in use of fall reduction strategies with patients in response to the multicomponent behavioral change strategy. As expected, knowledge of and attitudes toward the fall risk associated with gait or balance impairments and environmental hazards were high. However, multiple medications, not under the usual purview The part of a statute or a law that delineates its purpose and scope.

Purview refers to the enacting part of a statute. It generally begins with the words be it enacted and continues as far as the repealing clause.
 of physical therapy providers, also was recognized as a risk factor by 78% of the participants, and 51% believed multiple medication use to be a very important risk factor in their clinical practice. Only 30% of the participants mentioned postural hypotension as a risk factor. After exposure to the CCFP effort, however, 22 participants noted that they routinely checked postural blood pressures in their older patients.

More than two thirds of the physical therapy providers reported increased frequency of use of fall reduction strategies in their older patients. Results of the Bowker test of symmetry provide evidence that the changes from before exposure to the CCFP program to after exposure to the CCFP program are not due to chance alone. More importantly, the majority of the physical therapy providers had adopted strategies for reduction of fall risk factors that they had not used in the past. These strategies included an increase in the use of referrals to other health care providers, increased use of exercises, and increased education of patients about their fall risk factors.

In multivariate models, only post-CCFP knowledge of the risk factors for falls and fall-related practices prior to exposure to the CCFP effort were significantly and independently associated with an increase in self-reported use of fall prevention strategies with patients. Our findings are in agreement with those of previous studies that suggest that knowledge alone does not result in professional behavioral change. (18,28,29)

Strengths of this study include the high level of participation by those physical therapy providers who had been reached during this study. Only 15 (13%) of those physical therapy providers who were contacted refused to participate either in the CCFP program or in this study. This high participation rate lessens the likelihood of selection bias. The telephone questionnaire itself is an intervention that may further enhance the use of fall reduction behaviors by physical therapy providers. Frequently, after completion of the questionnaire, the participants acknowledged they had not been assessing risk factors and using management strategies as often as they would have liked, and they verbalized a plan to increase their use of the behaviors.

Several important caveats warrant comment. First, concern may be raised that, by choosing to use retrospective preintervention self-assessment, physical therapy providers may have overestimated their current fall reduction behavior compared with previous behavior. However, it has been theorized that there could be a change, due to the intervention itself, in the standards used to judge the preintervention and postintervention self-assessments. (29) For example, physical therapy providers may believe that they are well versed Versed® Midazolam Pharmacology A preoperative sedative  in fall reduction strategies and would rate themselves highly on a pretest pre·test  
n.
1.
a. A preliminary test administered to determine a student's baseline knowledge or preparedness for an educational experience or course of study.

b. A test taken for practice.

2.
. Yet, once they receive an educational intervention, they may realize they know less than they previously believed they knew. In a posttest post·test  
n.
A test given after a lesson or a period of instruction to determine what the students have learned.
, they may rate themselves on a similar level as they did before the intervention, but now their assessment is based on what they learned. If, at the same time, they did a retrospective pretest (ie, what did you know before?), they have a better sense of what they knew, compared with what they know now. This may be particularly important when evaluating an educational intervention, because participants may have an increased understanding of or insight into the subject they are rating. The change in the standards used to rate the intervention can reduce the validity of the self-ratings. Retrospective ratings have been well validated in this type of research, as they afford consistent criteria for the preintervention and postintervention self-assessments. (30,31) Similarly, the self-reported behaviors may have overestimated the actual behaviors. The validity of self-report will need to be addressed to determine how well self-report reflects true behavior. The addition of the open-ended questions about what behaviors had changed adds strength to the physical therapy providers' self-assessment. The open-ended questions were used to encourage accountability for their answers because participants were expected to justify the answers they gave. In this study, the physical therapy providers noted an increase in their use of fall prevention strategies with patients and were able to give numerous examples of the strategies they were consistently using in their clinical practice.

In addition, the participants may have wanted to please the interviewers. We attempted to minimize this by having the interview occur by telephone, which theoretically lessens the pressure of answering in a socially desirable manner, as the interviewee never meets the interviewer. (32)

Of greatest importance in predicting who would adopt the fall prevention strategies was the knowledge of the risk factors for falls and, not surprisingly, pre-CCFP practice behaviors. The education and materials presented during the outreach visit were tailored for immediate use by the physical therapy providers, which may have facilitated successful adoption of fall assessment and management. Materials included the training manuals with instructions for implementing components of the fall risk assessment and management, patient and physical therapy provider risk factor checklists, and a variety of patient-centered handouts. The outreach effort used a "hands-on" approach that addressed barriers to change, allowed for problem solving problem solving

Process involved in finding a solution to a problem. Many animals routinely solve problems of locomotion, food finding, and shelter through trial and error.
, and permitted ease of integration of the fall prevention strategies into the physical therapy provider's usual routine. The results of this study suggest that the use of a multicomponent change strategy can be successful in promoting behavioral change, even in an area as complex and multifactorial as fall risk factor assessment and management.

References

(1) Tinetti ME, Baker D1, McAvay G, et al. A multifactorial intervention to reduce the risk of falling among elderly people living in the community. N Engl J Med. 1994;331:821-827.

(2) Nevitt MC, Cummings SR, Kidd S, Black D. Risk factors for recurrent nonsyncopal falls: a prospective study. JAMA JAMA
abbr.
Journal of the American Medical Association
. 1989;261:2663-2668.

(3) Tinetti ME, Williams CS. Falls, injuries due to falls, and the risk of admission to a nursing home. N Engl J Med. 1997;337:1279-1284.

(4) Tinetti ME, Speechley M, Ginter SF. Risk factors for falls among elderly persons living in the community. N Engl J Med. 1988;319: 1701-1707.

(5) Close J, Ellis M, Hooper R, et al. Prevention of falls in the elderly (PROFET PROFET Prevention of Falls In the Elderly Trial
PROFET Protected FET (intelligent power switches; Infineon) 
): a randomized ran·dom·ize  
tr.v. ran·dom·ized, ran·dom·iz·ing, ran·dom·iz·es
To make random in arrangement, especially in order to control the variables in an experiment.
 control trial. Lancet. 1999;353:93-97.

(6) Tinetti ME, Williams TF, Mayewski R. Fall risk index for elderly patients based on number of chronic disabilities. Am J Med. 1986;80: 429-434.

(7) Hornbrook MC, Stevens VJ, Wingfield DJ, et al. Preventing falls among community-dwelling older persons: results from a randomized trial. Gerontologist ger·on·tol·o·gy  
n.
The scientific study of the biological, psychological, and sociological phenomena associated with old age and aging.



ge·ron
. 1994;34:16-23.

(8) Wolf SL, Barnhart HX, Kutner NG, et al. Reducing frailty frailty Vox populi A state of delicacy or weakness which, which encompasses age-related fragility, in particular osteoporosis. See FICSIT, Osteoporosis.  and falls in older persons: an investigation of Tai Chi Tai Chi Definition

T'ai chi is a Chinese exercise system that uses slow, smooth body movements to achieve a state of relaxation of both body and mind.
 and computerized balance training. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1996;44:489-497.

(9) Campbell AJ, Robertson MC, Gardner MM, et al. Psychotropic psychotropic /psy·cho·tro·pic/ (si?ko-tro´pik) exerting an effect on the mind; capable of modifying mental activity; said especially of drugs.

psy·cho·tro·pic
adj.
 mediation withdrawal and a home-based exercise program to prevent falls: a randomized controlled trial. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1999;47:850-853.

(10) Cumming RG, Thomas M, Szonyi G, et al. Home visits by an occupational therapist for assessment and modification of environmental hazards: a randomized trial of falls prevention Fall prevention is a variety of actions to help reduce the number of accidental falls suffered by older people. Falls and fall related injuries are among the most serious and common medical problems experienced by older adults. . J Am Geriatr Soc. 1999;47:1397-1402.

(11) Province MA, Hadley EC, Hornbrook MC, et al. The effect of exercise on falls in elderly patients: a preplanned meta-analysis of the FICSIT trials. JAMA. 1995;273:1341-1347.

(12) American Geriatrics Society The American Geriatrics Society (AGS): a professional society founded on June 11, 1942 for doctors practicing geriatric medicine. Among the founding physicians were Dr. Ignatz Leo Nascher, who coined the term "geriatrics," Dr. Malford W. , British Geriatrics geriatrics (jĕrēă`trĭks), the branch of medicine concerned with conditions and diseases of the aged. Many disabilities in old age are caused by or related to the deterioration of the circulatory system (see arteriosclerosis), e.g.  Society, and American Academy The American Academy in Berlin is a non-partisan academic institution in Berlin. It was founded in September 1994 by a group of prominent Americans and Germans, among them Richard Holbrooke, Henry Kissinger, Richard von Weizsäcker, Fritz Stern and Otto Graf Lambsdorff and opened in  of Orthopaedic Surgeons Panel on Falls Prevention. Guidelines for the prevention of falls in older persons. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2001;49:667-672.

(13) Connecticut Census Data. Available at: www.factfinder.census.gov/ home/saff/main.html. Accessed February 3, 2005.

(14) Berwick DM. Disseminating innovations in health care. JAMA. 2003;289:1969-1975.

(15) Berwick DM. A primer on leading the improvement of systems. BMJ BMJ n abbr (= British Medical Journal) → vom BMA herausgegebene Zeitschrift . 1996;312:619-622.

(16) Jamtvedt G, Young JM, Kristoffersen DT, et al. Audit and Feedback: Effects on Professional Practice and Health Care Outcomes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Chichester, United Kingdom:John Wiley John Wiley may refer to:
  • John Wiley & Sons, publishing company
  • John C. Wiley, American ambassador
  • John D. Wiley, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • John M. Wiley (1846–1912), U.S.
 & Sons Ltd; 2004:1.

(17) Thomson O'Brien MA, Oxman AD, et al. Educational Outreach Visits: Effects on Professional Practice and Health Care Outcomes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons Ltd; 2004:3.

(18) Davis DA, Thomson MA, Oxman AD, Haynes RB. Changing physician performance, a systematic review of the effect of continuing medical education continuing medical education See CME.  strategies. JAMA. 1995;274:700-705.

(19) Soumerai SB, Avorn J. Principles of educational outreach ("academic detailing academic detailing Therapeutics The use of educational 'props' by pharmaceutical companies and representatives–drug 'reps' to improve drug prescribing practices. Cf Detailing. ") to improve clinical decision making. JAMA. 1990; 263:549-556.

(20) Rosenberg RN. Translating biomedical research Biomedical research (or experimental medicine), in general simply known as medical research, is the basic research or applied research conducted to aid the body of knowledge in the field of medicine.  to the bedside: a national crisis and a call to action. JAMA. 2003;289:1305-1306.

(21) Prochaska JO, Velicer WF, Rossi JS, et al. Stages of changes and decisional balance for twelve problem behaviors, Health Psychol. 1994; 13:39-46.

(22) Sherrington C, Menz HB. An evaluation of footwear worn at the time of fall-related hip fracture hip fracture Orthopedic surgery A femoral fracture which affects 1/6 white ♀–US during life Epidemiology 250,000/yr–US Specifics Proximal femur; 90+% femoral neck, intertrochanteric; 5-10% are subtrochanteric Risk factors Tall, thin ♀, . Age Aging. 2003;32:310-314.

(23) Menz HB, Lord SR. The contribution of foot problems to mobility impairment and falls in community-dwelling older people. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2001;49:1651-1656.

(24) Koch M, Gottschalk M, Baker DI, et al. An impairment and disability assessment and treatment protocol for community-living elderly persons. Phys Ther. 1994;74:286-298.

(25) Feinstein AR. Principles of Medical Statistics. Washington, DC: Chapman & Hall/CRC; 2002:417.

(26) Jekel JF, Katz DL, Elmore JG. Epidemiology, Biostatistics biostatistics /bio·sta·tis·tics/ (-stah-tis´tiks) biometry.

bi·o·sta·tis·tics
n.
The science of statistics applied to the analysis of biological or medical data.
, and Preventive Medicine preventive medicine, branch of medicine dealing with the prevention of disease and the maintenance of good health practices. Until recently preventive medicine was largely the domain of the U.S. . 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders Co; 2001:177.

(27) Bowker AH. A test for symmetry in contingency tables contingency table
n.
A statistical table that shows the observed frequencies of data elements classified according to two variables, with the rows indicating one variable and the columns indicating the other variable.
. J Am Stat Assoc. 1948;43:572-74.

(28) Headrick LA, Speroff T, Pelcanos HI, Cebul RD. Efforts to improve compliance with the National Cholesterol Education Program The National Cholesterol Education Program is a program managed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Its goal is to reduce increased cardiovascular disease rates due to hypercholesterolemia (elevated cholesterol  guidelines: results of a randomized controlled trial. Arch Intern intern /in·tern/ (in´tern) a medical graduate serving in a hospital preparatory to being licensed to practice medicine.

in·tern or in·terne
n.
 Med. 1992; 152:2490-2496.

(29) Browner WS, Baron RB, Solkowitz S, et al. Physician management of hypercholesterolemia Hypercholesterolemia Definition

Hypercholesterolemia refers to levels of cholesterol in the blood that are higher than normal.
Description

Cholesterol circulates in the blood stream. It is an essential molecule for the human body.
: a randomized trial of continuing medial medial /me·di·al/ (me´de-il)
1. situated toward the median plane or midline of the body or a structure.

2. pertaining to the middle layer of structures.


me·di·al
adj.
 education. West J Med. 1994;161:572-578.

(30) Skeff KM, Stratos GA, Bergen MR. Evaluation of a medical faculty development program. Eval Health Prof. 1992;15:350-366.

(31) Levinson W, Gordon G, Skeff KM. Retrospective versus actual pre-course self-assessments. Eval Health Prof. 1990;13:445-452.

(32) Streiner DL, Norman GR. Health Measurement Scales: A Practical Guide to Their Development and Use. New York New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of
, NY: Oxford University Press; 1995:72-75.

* SAS Institute SAS Institute Inc., headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, USA, has been a major producer of software since it was founded in 1976 by Anthony Barr, James Goodnight, John Sall and Jane Helwig.  Inc, PO Box 8000, Cary, NC 27511.

Cynthia J Brown, Margaret Gottschalk, Peter H Van Ness Van Ness may refer to:

People

  • Cornelius P. Van Ness, Vermont governor, judge and U.S. diplomat
  • Frederick Van Ness Bradley, a U.S. Representative from Michigan
  • George Van Ness Lothrop, a Michigan politician
  • James Van Ness, son of Cornelius P.
, Richard H Fortinsky, Mary E Tinetti

CJ Brown, MD, is Investigator, Birmingham/Atlanta VA Geriatric geriatric /ger·i·at·ric/ (jer?e-at´rik)
1. pertaining to elderly persons or to the aging process.

2. pertaining to geriatrics.


ger·i·at·ric
adj.
1.
 Research, Education, and Clinical Center, and Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham UAB began in 1936 as the Birmingham Extension Center of the University of Alabama. Because of the rapid growth of the Birmingham area, it was decided that an extension program for students who had difficulties which prevented them from studying in Tuscaloosa was needed. . Address all correspondence to Dr Brown at University of Alabama at Birmingham, VAMC VAMC Veterans Affairs Medical Center
VAMC Veterans Administration Medical Center
VAMC Virginia Advanced Medical Center (Centreville, VA) 
 GRECC GRECC Geriatric Research, Education and Clinic Center  11-G Room 8225, 1530 3rd Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35294-0001 (USA) (Cbrown@aging.uab.edu).

M Gottschalk, PT, MS, is Staff Physical Therapist, Department of Rehabilitation Services, Yale-New Haven Hospital Yale-New Haven Hospital (abbreviated YNHH) is a world-renowned 944-bed hospital located in downtown New Haven, Connecticut. The hospital is owned and operated by the Yale New Haven Health System, Inc. , New Haven New Haven, city (1990 pop. 130,474), New Haven co., S Conn., a port of entry where the Quinnipiac and other small rivers enter Long Island Sound; inc. 1784. Firearms and ammunition, clocks and watches, tools, rubber and paper products, and textiles are among the many , Conn.

PH Van Ness, PhD, MPH, is Lecturer, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Associate Research Scientist/Senior Biostatistician, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.

RH Fortinsky, PhD, is Professor of Medicine, Center on Aging, University of Connecticut Health Center The University of Connecticut Health Center is located on the site of the old O'Meara farms in the Farmington Heights section of Farmington, Connecticut. It is home to the University of Connecticut's schools of medicine, dental medicine, and graduate school in biomedical science. , Farmington, Conn.

ME Tinetti, MD, is Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine.

Dr Brown, Ms Gottschalk, Dr Fortinsky, and Dr Tinetti provided concept/idea/research design. Dr Brown and Dr Tinetti provided writing and project management. Dr Brown provided data collection, and Dr Brown and Dr Tinetti provided data analysis. Ms Gottschalk provided subjects. Dr Tinetti provided fund procurement and institutional liaisons. Dr Brown, Ms Gottschalk, Dr Van Ness, and Dr Fortinsky provided consultation (including review of manuscript before submission). The authors thank the physical therapy providers who participated in the study; Paula Clark, RN, for assistance in data collection; Bridget Mignosa and Virginia Towle for assistance with data management; and Grace Jeng, MD, and Lisa M Walke, MD, for assistance with coding.

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Yale University School of Medicine.

This project was supported, in part, by a grant from the Donaghue Foundation and by a Yale Pepper Center grant (P60AG10469) from the National Institute on Aging The National Institute on Aging is a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland.

Formed in 1974, NIA's mission is to improve the health and well-being of older Americans through research. It is the primary U.S.
. Dr Brown was supported by a training grant from the National Institute on Aging (T32AG19134) and is a recipient of a John A. Hartford Foundation/American Federation for Aging Research Academic Geriatrics Fellowship Program Award (R04191) and a training support grant from the Hartford Foundation-funded Southeast Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine.

An abstract of this research was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Geriatric Society; May 14-18, 2003; Baltimore, Md.

This article was received December 15, 2003, and was accepted November 4, 2004.
Figure 2

                                           Percentage of Physical
                                             Therapy Providers

Self-reported Frequency of Use of Fall
   Prevention Practice Behaviors by
      Physical Therapy Providers           pre-CCFP     post-CCFP

Almost never or never                         24            3
Sometimes                                     43           23
Often                                         19           36
Almost always or always                       14           38

Self-reported frequency of use of fall prevention strategies with
patients before and after Connecticut Collaboration for Fall Prevention
(CCFP) program (N=94). For each answer, the striped bar corresponds to
the pre-CCFP behavior; the dark bar corresponds to post-CCFP behavior.

Note: Table made from bar graph.

Figure 3

 Change in Self-reported       Percentage of
Fall Prevention Behaviors    Physical Providers

Increased                           68
No change                           25
Decreased                            7

Distribution of change in self-reported use of fall prevention
strategies with patients before and after Connecticut Collaboration for
Fall Prevention (CCFP) program (N = 94)

Note: Table made from bar graph.

Table 1.

Characteristics of Study Sample (N=94)

                                           N (%) or [bar.X] [+ or -] SD
Characteristic                             (Range)

Age (y)                                    37 [+ or -] 9.9 (23-60)
Sex
  Male                                     29 (31)
  Female                                   65 (69)
No. of years since graduation with most     9 (1-38)
  advanced degree, median (range)
Employed
  Full-time                                75 (80)
  Part-time                                19 (20)
Type of provider
  Physical therapist                       86 (91)
  Physical therapist assistant              8 (9)
Hours per week spent in direct patient       31 [+ or -] 9.6 (8-50)
  care
Hours per week spent caring for older      12.2 [+ or -] 8.5 (1-40)
  adults
Physical therapy providers by practice
  type
  Hospital based                           39 (41)
  Freestanding                             55 (59)

Table 2.

Knowledge of Risk Factors and Interventions for Falls (N=94) (a)

                                              Named an
                                   Named      Intervention
                                   Risk       to Address
                                   Factor,    Risk Factor,
Risk Factor                        N (%)      N (%)

Environmental hazards              86 (91)    67 (71)
Gait or balance impairments        73 (78)    90 (96)
Multiple medications               72 (77)    45 (48)
Sensory and perceptual deficits    54 (57)    10 (11)
Foot and footwear problems         44 (47)    35 (37)
Postural hypotension               28 (30)    14 (15)

(a) Open-ended questions posed: "Name as many preventable risk factors
for falls in older adults as you can think of and "Name as many
interventions or treatments that might help prevent falls in your older
patients."

Table 3.

Changes in Fall Reduction Practices Reported by Physical Therapy
Providers (N=94) (a)

                        Fall Risk Factors
Practice Changes
Noted by                Gait or
Physical Therapy        Balance        Multiple          Postural
Providers (b)           Impairments    Medications       Hypotension

No change noted         41             17                50
Increased awareness     19             16                 5
Increased assessment    18              5                22
Increased education/    26             32                17
  recommendations/
  handouts
Increased exercises/    35             Not applicable     4
  training
Increased referral       1             41                10
List and review                        31
  medications

                        Fall Risk Factors
Practice Changes
Noted by                Sensory and    Foot and
Physical Therapy        Perceptual     Footwear    Environmental
Providers (b)           Deficits       Problems    Hazards

No change noted         58             50          40
Increased awareness      4              8           5
Increased assessment    16             21          18
Increased education/    13             29          43
  recommendations/
  handouts
Increased exercises/    15              3          Not applicable
  training
Increased referral       4             10           1
List and review
  medications

(a) or each risk factor, question posed: "Now what do you do
differently, if anything, to address this risk factor?"

(b) Physical therapy providers could give multiple answers to the
question.
COPYRIGHT 2005 American Physical Therapy Association, Inc.
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2005, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Title Annotation:Research Report
Author:Tinetti, Mary E.
Publication:Physical Therapy
Geographic Code:1USA
Date:May 1, 2005
Words:5607
Previous Article:Journal sessions at PT 2005.(Invitation to Readers)(Brief Article)
Next Article:Decreased trunk angular displacement during sitting down: an early feature of aging.(Research Report)
Topics:



Related Articles
Resources for on-site mental health services.
Who are physical therapists, and what do they do?(A Description of Patient/Client Management)(Guide to Physical Therapy Practice)
Who Are Physical Therapists, and What Do They Do?(A Guide to Physical Therapist Practice)
Catch a falling star.(Isabella Geriatric Center moves to minimize resident falls)
Bedrail entrapment: is your facility safe? A comprehensive look at strategies to reduce these often fatal mistakes.(Resident Safety)
Inhalant abuse: supporting broad-based research approaches.(Announcements: Fellowships, Grants, & Awards)
Individually tailored treatment targeting motor behavior, cognition, and disability: 2 experimental single-case studies of patients with recurrent...
"Invention is hard, but dissemination is even harder".(Editor's Note)
Acrophobia and pathological height vertigo: indications for vestibular physical therapy?(Case Report)

Terms of use | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles