Longitudinal Outcome in a Veterans Geriatric Multifactorial Falls Assessment Clinic: A Prospective Controlled Study

We designed a prospective controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of outpatient falls assessment and treatment for community-dwelling frail elderly patients with history of falls referred to an active management Geriatric Multifactorial Falls Assessment Clinic with a control group of patients discharged from an Acute Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM) Inpatient Unit during the same time period, but who were not specifically referred for falls assessment. We hypothesized that a population of frail elderly referred by their primary care physicians and who reported for evaluation to a Geriatric Multifactorial Falls Assessment Clinic would show a reduction in falls compared to controls, when provided a time-limited consult evaluation with active follow-up for 1 year.