Effects of a Falls Prevention Program Following Hospital Discharge

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Accidental Fall

In brief

A randomized, control trial will be conducted to evaluate the effects of a post-discharge falls prevention program in patients with neurological diseases and disorders. The objective of this study is to evaluate if implementing a falls prevention program is effective in reducing subsequent falls and re-hospitalizations, and improving gait, strength and balance in older adults after hospital discharge. Patients from Baptist Health Neuroscience Center will be randomized on the day of discharge to receive an exercise falls prevention program, delivered by Baptist Health physical therapists, or an educational pamphlet on falls prevention. Baseline and follow up assessments for gait, balance, and strength will be completed at regular intervals to examine effects of the exercise program. In addition, participants will be surveyed to find out about recent falls and hospitalizations. This is a minimal risk study such that the assessments involve conditions in which subjects likely encounter on a daily basis. The risks of the exercise intervention also are no more than one might expect from a community exercise program. Potential benefits include reduced hospitalizations and/or emergency visits related to falls in the intervention group, increased activity levels and improved falls efficacy in the intervention group, and increased system capacity at Baptist Health to deliver a falls prevention program.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02995486

Run by

Florida International University

People needed

30

Starts

2016-11-01

Expected to finish

2020-01-01

Last updated by the study team

2020-01-27

Who can join

Age: 60 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Discharged from the hospital after being treated for a fall-related injury;
• Able to engage in an exercise program for falls prevention (sufficient physical and cognitive health);
• Competent to provide consent.

You may not qualify if…

• Wheelchair bound;
• Has contraindications for engaging in an exercise program based on the patient records;
• Does not pass the Mini Cog test (brief cognitive screening tool)
• Does not have reliable transportation for follow-up visits.

Where it is running

• Baptist Hospital — Miami, Florida, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.