Multifactorial falls prevention programmes for older adults presenting to the emergency department with a fall: systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether multifactorial falls prevention interventions are effective in preventing falls, fall injuries, emergency department (ED) re-presentations and hospital admissions in older adults presenting to the ED with a fall. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). DATA SOURCES: Four health-related electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PEDro and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) were searched (inception to June 2018). STUDY SELECTION: RCTs of multifactorial falls prevention interventions targeting community-dwelling older adults ( ≥ 60 years) presenting to the ED with a fall with quantitative data on at least one review outcome. DATA EXTRACTION: Two independent reviewers determined inclusion, assessed study quality and undertook data extraction, discrepancies resolved by a third. DATA SYNTHESIS: 12 studies involving 3986 participants, from six countries, were eligible for inclusion. Studies were of variable methodological quality. Multifactorial interventions were heterogeneous, though the majority included education, referral to healthcare services, home modifications, exercise and medication changes. Meta-analyses demonstrated no reduction in falls (rate ratio = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.58 to 1.05), number of fallers (risk ratio = 1.02; 95% CI: 0.88 to 1.18), rate of fractured neck of femur (risk ratio = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.53 to 1.25), fall-related ED presentations (rate ratio = 0.99; 95% CI: 0.84 to 1.16) or hospitalisations (rate ratio = 1.14; 95% CI: 0.69 to 1.89) with multifactorial falls prevention programmes. CONCLUSIONS: There is insufficient evidence to support the use of multifactorial interventions to prevent falls or hospital utilisation in older people presenting to ED following a fall. Further research targeting this population group is required.

Effect of pilates exercise for improving balance in older adults: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of Pilates on balance and falls in older adults, and whether programs tested in prior studies met best-practice recommendations for exercise to prevent falls. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, PubMed, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, and The Cochrane Library were searched from earliest record to July 2014. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized and controlled clinical trials evaluating the effect of Pilates on balance and/or falls in older adults. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently extracted demographic, intervention, and outcome data. Six studies were included in this review. DATA SYNTHESIS: High-quality studies in this area are lacking. When compared with nonactive control groups, Pilates was shown to improve balance (standardized mean difference [SMD]=.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], .44-1.23; 6 studies) and reduce the number of falls (SMD=-2.03; 95% CI, -2.66 to -1.40; 1 study). Three studies provided sufficient detail to enable assessment of compliance with the recommendation of exercises providing a moderate or high challenge to balance. In these studies, 2% to 36% of exercises were assessed as providing a moderate or high challenge to balance. All studies provided ≥2 hours of exercise per week, and 1 study provided >50 hours of exercise during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence suggests Pilates can improve balance, an important risk factor for falls in older adults. However, there is limited data on the impact of Pilates on falls. Effects may have been overestimated because of the low methodological quality of studies. Best-practice recommendations were rarely applied in prior studies, indicating greater effects may have been achieved if recommendations were incorporated.

Effectiveness of aquatic exercise for musculoskeletal conditions: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of aquatic exercise in the management of musculoskeletal conditions. DATA SOURCES: A systematic review was conducted using Ovid MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from earliest record to May 2013. STUDY SELECTION: We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs evaluating aquatic exercise for adults with musculoskeletal conditions compared with no exercise or land-based exercise. Outcomes of interest were pain, physical function, and quality of life. The electronic search identified 1199 potential studies. Of these, 1136 studies were excluded based on title and abstract. A further 36 studies were excluded after full text review, and the remaining 26 studies were included in this review. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently extracted demographic data and intervention characteristics from included trials. Outcome data, including mean scores and SDs, were also extracted. DATA SYNTHESIS: The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) Scale identified 20 studies with high methodologic quality (PEDro score ≥6). Compared with no exercise, aquatic exercise achieved moderate improvements in pain (standardized mean difference [SMD]=-.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], -.56 to -.18), physical function (SMD=.32; 95% CI, .13-.51), and quality of life (SMD=.39; 95% CI, .06-.73). No significant differences were observed between the effects of aquatic and land-based exercise on pain (SMD=-.11; 95% CI, -.27 to .04), physical function (SMD=-.03; 95% CI, -.19 to .12), or quality of life (SMD=-.10; 95% CI, -.29 to .09). CONCLUSIONS: The evidence suggests that aquatic exercise has moderate beneficial effects on pain, physical function, and quality of life in adults with musculoskeletal conditions. These benefits appear comparable across conditions and with those achieved with land-based exercise. Further research is needed to understand the characteristics of aquatic exercise programs that provide the most benefit.

Implementation of pressure ulcer prevention best practice recommendations in acute care: an observational study.

Pressure ulcers are a common but preventable problem in hospitals. Implementation of best practice guideline recommendations can prevent ulcers from occurring. This 9-year cohort study reports prevalence data from point prevalence surveys during the observation period, and three practice metrics to assess implementation of best practice guideline recommendations: (i) nurse compliance with use of a validated pressure ulcer risk assessment and intervention checklist; (ii) accuracy of risk assessment scoring in usual-care nurses and experienced injury prevention nurses; and (iii) use of pressure ulcer prevention strategies. The prevalence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers decreased following implementation of an evidence-based prevention programme from 12·6% (2 years preprogramme implementation) to 2·6% (6 years postprogramme implementation) (P < 0·001). Audits between 2003 and 2011 of 4368 patient medical records identified compliance with pressure ulcer prevention documentation according to best practice guidelines was high (>84%). A sample of 270 patients formed the sample for the study of risk assessment scoring accuracy and use of prevention strategies. It was found usual-care nurses under-estimated patients' risk of pressure ulcer development and under-utilised prevention strategies compared with experienced injury prevention nurses. Despite a significant reduction in prevalence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers and high documentation compliance, use of prevention strategies could further be improved to achieve better patient outcomes. Barriers to the use of prevention strategies by nurses in the acute hospital setting require further examination. This study provides important insights into the knowledge translation of pressure ulcer prevention best practice guideline recommendations at The Northern Hospital.

Strategies for improving patient safety culture in hospitals: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: To determine the effectiveness of patient safety culture strategies to improve hospital patient safety climate. DATA SOURCES: Electronic search of the Cochrane Library, OVID Medline, Embase, CINAHL, proQuest and psychinfo databases, with manual searches of quality and safety websites, bibliographies of included articles and key journals. STUDY SELECTION: English language studies published between January 1996 and April 2011 that measured the effectiveness of patient safety culture strategies using a quantitative measure of patient safety climate in a hospital setting. Studies included were randomised controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, controlled before and after studies, interrupted time series and historically controlled studies. DATA EXTRACTION: Data extraction and critical appraisal were conducted by two independent reviewers. Study design, intervention, level of application, setting, study participants, safety climate outcome measures and implementation lessons were extracted from each article. RESULTS OF DATA SYNTHESIS: Over 2000 articles were screened, with 21 studies meeting the inclusion criteria, one cluster RCT, seven controlled before and after studies, and 13 historically controlled studies. There was marked methodological heterogeneity amongst studies. Impacts of 11 different strategies were reported. There was some evidence to support that leadership walk rounds (p=0.02) and multi-faceted unit-based programmes (p < 0.05) may have a positive impact on patient safety climate. CONCLUSIONS: Despite strong face validity for a variety of patient safety culture strategies, there is limited evidence to support definitive impacts on patient safety climate outcomes. Organisations are advised to consider robust evaluation designs when implementing these potentially resource intensive strategies.

Development and validation of a pressure ulcer risk assessment tool for acute hospital patients.

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a pressure ulcer risk assessment for acute hospitals. This tool was developed in a cohort of 342 patients with a mean age 63 years (SD 19.82) and validated in a second cohort of 165 patients with a mean age 68 years (SD 18.40). Risk factors for inclusion on The Northern Hospital Pressure Ulcer Prevention Plan (TNH-PUPP) were identified from the literature then examined and weighted using logistic regression. Risk factors included on the TNH-PUPP were requires assistance to move in bed (odds ratio [OR] 5.15; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.49-10.65), admission to intensive care during current admission (OR 2.98; 95% CI: 1.33-6.67), aged ≥ 65 years (OR 2.81; 95% CI: 1.24-6.36), reduced sensation (OR 2.29; 95% CI: 1.19-4.42), and cognitive impairment (OR 2.26; 95% CI: 1.09-4.67). The TNH-PUPP was validated in a prospective sample. The new tool had high diagnostic validity (area under the receiver operating curve=0.86), consistent in the validation sample (area under the receiver operating curve=0.90). The TNH-PUPP has a moderate positive predictive value (development=0.50; validation=0.13), and a high negative predictive value (development=0.94; validation=0.99) enabling low-risk patients to be screened out, as noncandidates for pressure ulcer prevention interventions. An accurate pressure ulcer risk assessment has been developed and validated, which identifies a high-risk group to whom limited pressure ulcer prevention resources should be directed. The TNH-PUPP facilitates effective resource allocation and is likely to reduce unnecessary patient harm and costs from pressure ulcers in acute hospitals.