Will seniors bring their STEADI fall risk screening results to their doctors?

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: One out of three older adults (65+) fall and in this population, falling is the leading cause of injuries and nursing home admission. Leaders in the field suggest health care providers (HCPs) use the STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents Death and Injury) Toolkit developed by the CDC. However, our previous study showed that many barriers prevent San Diego HCPs from conducting fall risk screenings in the clinic environment. Therefore, our Fall Prevention Taskforce had physical therapists, PT students, and fitness professionals use the STEADI toolkit and instructed participants to take their results to their doctor to start the fall prevention conversation.

METHODS: Six events were held in community centers around San Diego County and screenings from the STEADI toolkit were conducted with 313 individuals. Participants who agreed were called several months later and 151 completed our survey.

RESULTS/OUTCOMES: Thirty-four participants shared their balance screening results with their HCP. Another 25 participants reported having a discussion about falls with their HCP due to their experience with the STEADI screenings. Thus, a total of 39% of the screening participants followed up with their HCP in some way.  Some who did not share results with their HCP reported taking other actions (e.g., joining an exercise class). Additional analysis will explore how the level of risk identified was related to the likelihood of acting on the results.

CONCLUSIONS: Community events using the STEADI fall risk screenings are a very promising method of prompting seniors to discuss fall prevention with their health care providers.