136 Barriers to Discussing Fall Prevention with Healthcare Professionals amongst Community-Dwelling Singaporean Older Adults

Abstract Introduction A multitude of modifiable factors can contribute to one’s fall risk. Healthcare professionals (HCP) are equipped to identify such factors, and make appropriate recommendations to help older adults prevent falls. However, there is limited evidence on the awareness and practice o...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Age and ageing 2019-12, Vol.48 (Supplement_4), p.iv28-iv33
Main Authors: Balachandar, Nivedha, Sim, Silvia, Tan, Pey June, Mallya, Jagadish, Ismail, Noor Hafizah, Chan, Angelique, Wong, Chek Hooi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Barriers
Community
Content analysis
Falls
Health care
Injury prevention
Medical personnel
Misconceptions
Older people
Prevention
Semistructured questionnaires
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Introduction A multitude of modifiable factors can contribute to one’s fall risk. Healthcare professionals (HCP) are equipped to identify such factors, and make appropriate recommendations to help older adults prevent falls. However, there is limited evidence on the awareness and practice of this in Asian communities. Thus, this paper aims to understand the participation and barriers for community-dwelling Singaporeans to discuss falls with their HCPs. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a nationally-representative sample of Singaporeans aged ≥60 living in the community. Participants were asked if they have fallen in the past 12 months, if they discussed what they can do to avoid falls with their HCPs (doctor/nurse) and for their perceived barriers via a semi-structured questionnaire with multiple responses. Unstructured data was coded using content analysis by two researchers and pooled with structured data. Sub-group differences between fallers and non-fallers were anaylsed using chi square tests. Results Of 549 participants (70.6±6.9 years and 61% female), most (n=447, 81%) have never talked to their HCPs. More fallers discussed falls prevention with HCPs than non-fallers (p=0.037). The top barriers cited for discussing falls with HCPs – low perception of fall risk (55%) and misconceptions regarding falls and/or HCPs (29%) – were more prevalent amongst non-fallers (p=0.008) and fallers (p
ISSN:0002-0729
1468-2834
DOI:10.1093/ageing/afz164.136