Recommendations for screening and risk stratification of falls in the elderly in the light of the new "World guidelines for falls prevention and management for older adults"
Abstract
Falls and fall-related injuries are common in old age and negatively influence functional independence and quality of life. There is sufficient scientific evidence on falls-associated negative outcomes - morbidity, mortality and increased societal costs.
Despite many awareness campaigns and health programmes targeted at decreased risks and incidence of falls there is no evidence confirming decreased of falls in developed countries in the last decade. In the article we overview the recommendations including their GRADE classification for the screening and stratification of fall risk in view of the recent "World guidelines for falls prevention and management for older adults: a global initiative" (2022) aimed at health professional based on scientific evidence and expert consensus.
Part of the recommendations is a new fall risk algorithm. It enables to stratify patients into 3 risk groups (low, intermediate, and high fall risk) with specific recommendations for further assessment and for individualized intervention programs.
Risk stratification thus represents the first step for successful management of patients which - if implemented - is expected to decrease the incidence of falls and their negative health and high resource-consuming outcomes.