Telehealth: Strategies for Preventing Falls in the Elderly
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
Fall incidents are the third cause of chronic disability in the elderly, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Recent reviews demonstrate that multifactorial and multicomponent intervention programs are effective in preventing falls in community-dwelling older adults. However, the application of these programs may not be accessible to a large part of the elderly population. The lack of continuity in the treatment of the consequences of falls, as well as the dissemination of prevention measures for this patient profile, could be minimized through the use of information and communication technologies. Method: This will be a randomized clinical trial that aims to evaluate the effects of two fall prevention strategies via telerehabilitation for elderly fallers after admission to an emergency room. It will be carried out by a multidisciplinary team with interventions for eight weeks and monitoring of outcomes over a period of four months. Patients will be evaluated regarding aspects of functionality in the second and month after the interventions and regarding the recurrence of falls during the four-month period. Discussion: The hypothesis is that the programs are viable in terms of accessibility to home training. However, to date, there is no evidence about the differences between these forms of interventions to prevent falls via telecare.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Detailed Description
To compare the effects of two different strategies for preventing falls through telerehabilitation for elderly fallers after admission to an emergency room.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Interactive services Otago exercises performed in "real-time" or "synchronous" mode of digital health care. It consists of direct communication between physiotherapist and the patient. |
Other: real-time intervention
An individual exercise program will be carried out at home, supervised remotely via videoconference.
|
| Active Comparator: Remote telemonitoring Otago exercises performed remotely, using technologies such as messaging apps. It consists of indirect communication between physiotherapist and the patient. |
Other: real-time intervention
An individual exercise program will be carried out at home, supervised remotely via videoconference.
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Rate of Falls [four months]
After the intervention periods, participants will be followed for another 16 weeks. Every week, recurrences of falls will be recorded via telephone calls. You will be asked whether there were falls in the period
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Concern of falls [through study completion, an average of 1 year]
The assessment will consist of Self-efficacy tests for Falls
- Balance [through study completion, an average of 1 year]
The assessment will consist of Timed-Up and Go test
- Arms Muscle strength [through study completion, an average of 1 year]
Palm Grip Strength
- Legs Muscle strength [through study completion, an average of 1 year]
Sitting and Rising from a Chair tests
- Functionality [through study completion, an average of 1 year]
Katz Index on elderly functionality evaluation for the analysis of basic activities
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- elderly fallers
Exclusion Criteria:
- neurological diseases
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospital de Pronto Socorro | Porto Alegre | RS | Brazil | 90880-370 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Federal University of Health Science of Porto Alegre
Investigators
None specified.Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- HPSPoA