Practice And Impact Of Using Fall Screening Tools In Emergency Medicine For Older Adults: A Scoping Review

Journal of Applied Gerontology, Ahead of Print.
Falls are a leading cause of injury among older adults in the United States which leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Though screening for fall risk is an important preventative measure in the emergency department (ED), fall screening tools’ feasibility and utility remain a challenge in EDs. This scoping review aimed to identify the fall screening tools, their psychometric properties, their best practices, and their impact in the ED among patients aged 60 years and older. In the 25 publications included in this review, 6 functional assessments and 10 screening questionnaires were used. Even though this review found several tools that are easy to apply and have good psychometric properties in the ED setting, there is a need for increased feasibility, support, and effectiveness. Consistent education and resource allocation remains a challenge for fall screening. Future research needs to focus on optimizing fall screening tools and practices to improve fall prevention measures in ED.