RESPOND: a patient-centred programme to prevent secondary falls in older people presenting to the emergency department with a fall-protocol for a mixed methods programme evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Programme evaluations conducted alongside randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have potential to enhance understanding of trial outcomes. This paper describes a multi-level programme evaluation to be conducted alongside an RCT of a falls prevention programme (RESPOND). OBJECTIVES: (1) To conduct a process evaluation in order to identify the degree of implementation fidelity and associated barriers and facilitators. (2) To evaluate the primary intended impact of the programme: participation in fall prevention strategies and the factors influencing participation. (3) To identify the factors influencing RESPOND RCT outcomes: falls, fall injuries and emergency department (ED) re-presentations. METHODS/DESIGN: 528 community-dwelling adults aged 60-90 years presenting to two EDs with a fall will be recruited and randomly assigned to the intervention or standard care group. All RESPOND participants and RESPOND clinicians will be included in the evaluation. A mixed methods design will be used and a programme logic model will frame the evaluation. Data will be sourced from interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, clinician case notes, recruitment records, participant-completed calendars, hospital administrative datasets and audio-recordings of intervention contacts. Quantitative data will be analysed via descriptive and inferential statistics and qualitative data will be interpreted using thematic analysis. DISCUSSION: The RESPOND programme evaluation will provide information about contextual and influencing factors related to the RESPOND RCT outcomes. The results will assist researchers, clinicians and policy makers regarding decisions about future falls prevention interventions. Insights gained may be applicable to a range of chronic conditions where similar preventive intervention approaches are indicated. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This programme evaluation is linked to the RESPOND RCT which is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12614000336684).

RESPOND--A patient-centred programme to prevent secondary falls in older people presenting to the emergency department with a fall: protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Participation in falls prevention activities by older people following presentation to the emergency department (ED) with a fall is suboptimal. This randomised controlled trial (RCT) will test the RESPOND programme, an intervention designed to improve older persons' participation in falls prevention activities through delivery of patient-centred education and behaviour change strategies. DESIGN AND SETTING: A RCT at two tertiary referral EDs in Melbourne and Perth, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 528 community-dwelling people aged 60-90 years presenting to the ED with a fall and discharged home will be recruited. People who require an interpreter or hands-on assistance to walk; live in residential aged care or >50 km from the trial hospital; have terminal illness, cognitive impairment, documented aggressive behaviour or a history of psychosis; are receiving palliative care or are unable to use a telephone will be excluded. METHODS: Participants will be randomly allocated to the RESPOND intervention or standard care control group. RESPOND incorporates (1) a home-based risk factor assessment; (2) education, coaching, goal setting and follow-up telephone support for management of one or more of four risk factors with evidence of effective interventions and (3) healthcare provider communication and community linkage delivered over 6 months. Primary outcomes are falls and fall injuries per person-year. DISCUSSION: RESPOND builds on prior falls prevention learnings and aims to help individuals make guided decisions about how they will manage their falls risk. Patient-centred models have been successfully trialled in chronic and cardiovascular disease; however, evidence to support this approach in falls prevention is limited. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The protocol for this study is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12614000336684).

Psychosocial impact of visual impairment in working-age adults.

AIM: To review the evidence for the presence of lower levels of psychosocial well-being in working-age adults with visual impairment and for interventions to improve such levels of psychosocial well-being. METHODS: Systematic review of quantitative studies published in English from 2001 to July 2008 that measured depression/mental health, anxiety, quality of life, social functioning or social support. RESULTS: Included were 29 studies that measured one or more outcomes (N = 52). Working-age adults with visual impairment were significantly more likely to report lower levels of mental health (mean difference = 14.51/100), social functioning (MD = 11.55/100) and quality of life. Studies regarding the prevalence of depressive symptoms produced inconsistent results but had methodological limitations. CONCLUSIONS: Future research is required into the prevalence of loneliness, anxiety and depression in adults with visual impairment, and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for improving psychosocial well-being such as counselling, peer support and employment programmes.

Experimentally induced peri-implant mucositis. A clinical study in humans.

The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and microbiological (microscopic) parameters during the development of experimental gingivitis and experimental peri-implant mucositis. Twenty partially edentulous patients were treated for moderate to advanced periodontal disease. Following active periodontal therapy consisting of motivation, instruction in oral hygiene practices, scaling and root planing and periodontal surgery where indicated, IMZ oral implants were incorporated in posterior edentulous areas. After 3 months of healing, the prosthetic abutments were connected, and the patients were closely supervised for another 2 months of healing. At this time, baseline data were obtained. Re-examinations were scheduled at 3 and 6 months. Following this, the patients were asked to refrain from oral hygiene practices for 3 weeks. At all examinations including the end of the period of no oral hygiene, the following clinical parameters were obtained: Plaque Index, Gingival Index and Sulcus Bleeding Index, all modified by Mombelli et al. (1987), probing pocket depths and recession in mm. Furthermore, submucosal/subgingival plaque samples were obtained and analyzed using phase contrast microscopy. At the end of the 3-week period of plaque accumulation, optimal oral hygiene was reinstituted. There were no statistically significant differences between the mean values of all parameters at implant compared to tooth sites at any observation periods. The period of no oral hygiene demonstrated a similar cause-effect relationship between the accumulation of bacterial plaque and the development of peri-implant mucositis as established for the gingival units by the experimental gingivitis model.

Guided tissue regeneration in jawbone defects prior to implant placement.

The principle of guided tissue regeneration has been successfully applied for the regeneration of bone in various jaw defects in human. The purpose of this study was to assess the bone volume regenerated using nonresorbable membrane barriers. Nineteen patients with jaw bone defects of various sizes and configurations were included in the study. Combined split-thickness/full-thickness mucosal flaps were elevated in the area of missing bone. The size of the defects was assessed by measuring the distance from a reference line between 2 adjacent teeth (cementoenamel junctions) to the alveolar crest (a) every 2 or 3 mm. In addition, the crestal width was measured. Consequently, the surface of the triangle formed by a and the width of the crest as well as the volume between all triangles were calculated geometrically. Following the placement of Gore-Tex augmentation material as a barrier, the distance (b) to the top of the membrane from the reference line was assessed, and the maximum possible volume for bone regeneration based on (a-b) and the width of the crest was calculated. At the time of membrane removal (3-8 months later), the same measurements were performed and the percentages of regenerated bone in relation to the possible volume for regeneration determined. In 6 patients in whom the membranes had to be removed early due to an increased risk for infection between 3 and 5 months, bone regeneration varied between 0 and 60%. In 13 patients in whom membranes were left for 6-8 months, regenerated bone filled 90-100% of the possible volume.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)