Evidence-based Guideline for Fall Prevention in Korea / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

Falls and fall-related injuries are common in older population and have deleterious effects to the quality of life or independence of daily living in the elderly. Falling is also associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, nursing home admission and the increase of medical costs. Because Korea has shown extreme demographic shift with its population aging at the fastest pace among developed country, assessment of fall risks and intervention to high risk population are getting more important. The guideline for prevention of falls was developed first by The Korean Association of Internal Medicine and The Korean Geriatric Society. This guideline was developed by adaptation process as evidence-based method; four guidelines were retrieved by systematic review and the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II process, seven statements were made with the grading of evidence and recommendations followed the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework. Because falls result from various combinations of many factors, the guideline contains multidimensional assessment and multimodal strategy to prevent falls. This guideline was developed for not only primary physician but also patients and general population, therefore it provides detailed recommendations and concrete measures to assess the risk and prevent falls in older people.