Assessment and prevention of falls in older people – concise guidance

• Published in: Clinical medicine (London, England) Vol. 14; no. 6; pp. 658 - 662
• Main Authors: Swift, Cameron G, Iliffe, Steve
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2014; Royal College of Physicians
• Subjects: Accidental Falls - prevention & control; Accidental Falls - statistics & numerical data; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Concise Guidance; diagnosis; Falls; General aspects; Humans; intervention; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; prevention; Prevention and actions; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Risk Assessment; Falls; risk assessment; diagnosis; intervention; prevention; Human; Guidance; Medicine; Prevention; Risk factor; Risk; Fall; Diagnosis; Elderly
• ISSN: 1470-2118; 1473-4893
• DOI: 10.7861/clinmedicine.14-6-658

Falls in later life are a major health issue, both in terms of their injurious consequences and their significance as a diagnostic marker. Cost-effective measures for their assessment and prevention are well documented but insufficiently implemented. This Concise Guideline comprises a distillation of recommendations for the assessment and prevention of falls in older people based on Clinical Guideline 161 (incorporating CG21) published by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in 2013. The recommendations are intended to provide both generalists and specialists with an overview of practical strategies for clinical case and/or risk ascertainment and intervention, and for referral and service implementation across the primary–secondary care interface and within the hospital setting. Recommendations abstracted verbatim from the Guideline are highlighted. Explanatory or supporting comment is given as appropriate.