EQUIPMENT
In response to the serious problem of falls, many interventions have been designed to prevent falls and fall-related injuries. These include identification bracelets, bed alarms, special flooring, hip protectors, assistive devices, and more. There is hardly any literature available that tests the effectiveness of each type of equipment in isolation from other interventions as most studies on fall prevention programs were of multi-component interventions. But as noted by Agostini and colleagues (2001), who reviewed the literature on the effectiveness of each intervention independent from others, although evidence for the effectiveness of individual interventions is important, the effectiveness of each may change when such interventions are incorporated with others as part of a falls prevention program. In what follows, we discuss the effectiveness of each of the above fall prevention equipments independently. For those interested in the effectiveness of multi-component interventions, the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care recently released a report that provides a systematic review of the evidence for the effectiveness of various fall prevention programs in long term care facilities. This report is available at: http://www.ctfphc.org/Full_Text/CTF_FallsPrevn_TR_Jun03.pdf.
In the following, the efficacy of individual equipments in preventing falls examined in Agostini and colleagues’ (2001) study is discussed.
Identification Bracelets
Bed Alarms
Flooring Materials
Hip Protectors
Other Interventions
References
