Effects of Fall Prevention Programs for Older Adults on Fall-Related Injuries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of fall prevention programs on fall-related injuries, and the characteristics of these programs. The Cochrane Library, Medline, PubMed, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, ERIC, AgeLine, CINAHL, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection databases were searched for randomized clinical trials on fall-related injuries among older adults from 1996 to 2016. A meta-analysis was performed to calculate the combined effects of fall prevention programs on fall-related injuries. A total of 33 research papers were included in the meta-analysis (68,736 participants). The meta-analysis found that fall prevention programs had a significant effect in preventing fall-related injuries (OR=0.86, 95% CI: 0.75-0.97), but a borderline-significant effect in preventing fractures (OR=0.80, 95% CI: 0.63-1.03). The fall prevention programs had a significant effect on fall-related injuries when both male and female participants were included in the study sample, interventions involved healthcare professionals, more than 20% of the patient population had a history of falling, interventions occurred in the community setting, and multiple interventions were used. Thus, fall prevention programs had a small but significant effect in preventing fall-related injuries but only a borderline effect in preventing fractures. When planning fall prevention programs, future policy makers and clinical workers should consider the different characteristics of older adults to propose appropriate intervention programs.