A Targeted Falls Prevention Program in Rehabilitation In-Patients

Falls are a major complication in patients treated in rehabilitation departments, yet studies evaluating different interventions to reduce falls-risk are rare and inconclusive.

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of a multidisciplinary fall-prevention program to reduce falls and injury in stroke patients treated in a rehabilitation department.

All stroke patients consecutively admitted to the department of rehabilitation at Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center for a period of one year will be eligible for inclusion. Upon receiving an informed consent subjects will be randomized to the intervention group or the control (convention care) group.

There are no exclusion criteria. The Intervention includes group education on risk of falling and safe mobility and transfers; physical therapy of balance training at the patients' bedside twice weekly and medical assessment of medication use (anxiolytics/hypnotics, neuroleptics, antihypertensives and other vasodilators), orthostatic hypotension, urinary frequency/incontinence, delirium and visual problems.

Intervention therapy will not be given as an extra time, rather at the same treatment time as the control group.

Primary outcomes are rate of falls and related injuries.