Attitudes to falls and injury prevention: what are the barriers to implementing falls prevention strategies?

OBJECTIVES: To ascertain the reasons for not taking up a fall or injury prevention strategy among older people who have sustained a fall and attended an emergency department. SUBJECTS: As part of another trial, we identified 60 people who attended the emergency department of a public hospital with a fall. MAIN MEASURES: Participants were interviewed to ascertain the reasons for not taking up a falls prevention strategy, their falls-related health state, and the likelihood of them undertaking a falls and injury prevention strategy. RESULTS: A total of 31 (52%) of the participants had considered falls prevention after their fall. There were high levels of reluctance to undertake a strategy with 43 (72%) reluctant to take exercise classes, 10 (59%) reluctant to cease psychotropic medications, 26 (43%) reluctant to have a home safety assessment and 17 (28%) reluctant to take osteoporotic medication. When asked specifically about taking up a strategy to prevent a worsening health state, 19 (63%) of participants would take up exercise, 17 (57%) a home safety assessment, 4 of the 17 (59%) already taking implicated medications would stop and 56 (93%) would begin osteoporotic medication. These decisions did not alter when the goal for treatment was to improve a much worse health state. In participants with a lower starting health state, home safety assessments were viewed more favourably. CONCLUSIONS: There were significant obstacles to the implementation of most falls prevention guidelines examined. Treatment for osteoporosis was more acceptable to participants than exercise classes, cessation of psychotropic medication, and having a home safety assessment. Osteoporosis treatment, which had the least resistance, also had the least impact on the participants' lifestyle.