OTnews April 2022 | Page 23

Falls
Evidence link

Falls

All the patients involved felt their needs were met during the telephone consultation . Two patients acknowledged that the telephone consultation was not without difficulty , conveying that communicating is not straightforward over the telephone , as it can be difficult to hear .
All patients were happy to complete a telephone consultation again , if it was decided appropriate to complete the consultation in this way , that is , a physical examination was not required .
Despite the small sample size , there is at least some indication that some patients have found their telephone consultations positive , albeit not without challenges .
The initial aim was to minimise the risk of infection among this patient group while maintaining an effective outpatient falls clinic . The advantages are evident , and there is huge potential for long-term use of virtual consultations in the provision of quality clinical care and huge potential for occupational therapists to be a part of this healthcare revolution .
British Medical Association ( 2020 ) The hidden impact of COVID-19 on patient care in the NHS in England . Available at : www . bma . org . uk / media / 2840 / the-hidden-impact-of-covid _ webpdf . pdf [ accessed 14 November 2021 ]
Office for National Statistics and Public Health England ( 2021 ) Coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) Infection Survey , UK : 26 February 2021 . Available at : https :// bit . ly / 3E1sjqA [ accessed 15 March 2021 ]
Evidence link
Knecht-Sabres et al ( 2022 ) conducted a study to investigate the perceptions of communitydwelling older adults ( Chicago area , US ) who participated in an interdisciplinary falls screening and education event held at a university . Participants ( n = 33 ) met individually with professionals from behavioural sciences , family medicine , occupational therapy , optometry , pharmacy and physical therapy for a discipline-specific assessment and individualised recommendations . Student volunteers also contributed to the event . At the end of the event participants completed a questionnaire and feedback form . Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis . Findings included that most participants found the event valuable , considered their knowledge about falls / confidence in preventing them had improved , whilst fear of falling had decreased , and were likely to implement recommendations .
Knecht-Sabres LJ , Hanke TA , Lee MM , Wallingford M , Palmisano L , Elliott-Burke T … Mazan J ( 2022 ) A pilot interdisciplinary falls screening and education event : perceptions of community-dwelling older adults . Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice , 20 ( 1 ), 1 – 14 . doi : 10.46743 / 1540- 580X / 2022.2110
World Health Organisation ( 2020 ) Statement – Older people are at highest risk from COVID-19 , but all must act to prevent community spread . Available at : https :// bit . ly / 3v7dsXm [ accessed : 10 November 2021 ]
NICE ( 2013 ) Falls in older people : assessing risk and prevention . CG161 . Available at : www . nice . org . uk / guidance / cg161 / chapter / introduction [ accessed : 20 November 2021 ]
Lovarini M , Clemson L , Dean C ( 2013 ) ‘ Sustainability of community-based fall prevention programs : A systematic review ’, Journal of Safety Research , 47 : 9 – 17 . doi : 10.1016 / j . jsr . 2013.08.004
Royal College of Occupational Therapists ( 2020 ) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on occupational therapy in the UK . Available at : https :// bit . ly / 3xu1NoD [ accessed 1 November 2021 ]
Words LINDA HORAN , Senior Specialist Occupational Therapist , Older Person Assessment Unit , Guys Hospital Linda . Horan @ gstt . nhs . uk
April 2022 OTnews 23