Skip to main content

Table 2 Modified ProFANE taxonomy [21] of interventions for inclusion and description of add-on strategies and comparators

From: Fall prevention interventions for older community-dwelling adults: systematic reviews on benefits, harms, and patient values and preferences

Category of intervention a

Single interventions within category b

Exercise

Gait, balance, coordination, and functional training; strength/resistance exercises; flexibility exercises; 3D training (e.g., Tai Chi, dance, yoga); general physical activity; endurance training; others (e.g., exergame, aquatic); mixed exercises (i.e., 2 or more exercise components)

Medication (drug provision)

Vitamin D (+/−calcium) supplementation; sunlight interventions; excluding calcium alone, anti-osteoporosis medications or others used for specific conditions where fall prevention is secondary aim (e.g., diabetes medication, urinary antispasmodics)

Medication (review & modification)

Medication withdrawal, dose reduction or increase, substitution (may be delivered directly to patient or focus on provider education)

Nutrition therapy

Dietary counselling; excluding single dietary supplements and fluid therapy

Psychological

Cognitive (behavioral) interventions

Environment/Assistive Technology (furnishings and adaptations to homes and other premises/direct action)

Relocation, entrances, flooring, lighting, installation of grab bars in bathrooms, handrails for stairs, others

Environment/Assistive Technology (aids for personal mobility and protection)

Walking aids, clothes, orthotics, or anti-slip devices for shoes; excluding protective aids to reduce fractures from falls (e.g., hip protectors) and comprehensive podiatry assessment

Environment/Assistive Technology (aids for communication and signaling)

Alarm systems to prevent falls; excluding alarms to signal a fall, hearing aids, or optical aids unless part of a multiple component intervention

Environment/Assistive Technology (aids for communication and signaling)

Vision assessment and treatment

Knowledge/education interventions

Written material, videos, and lectures about reducing falls; excluding pamphlets

Category of intervention add-on strategy b

Interventions within category

Social environment (clinic quality improvement)

Staff ratio, staff training, service model change, clinician reminders, audit and feedback, case management, referral (not for falls risk assessment or interventions which is captured by delivery variable); training and education to deliver the main interventions will not be counted (e.g., training of staff to deliver CBT or medication review)

Social environment (patient quality improvement)

Telephone support or reminders about appointments or aspects of care, caregiver training, homecare services, promotion of self-management (e.g., goal setting, action planning)

Control groups c

Examples

Usual care (UC)

May include wait-list control, placebo (for vitamin D interventions), or session or pamphlet on general health or active living; excluding studies where UC involves assessments (e.g., comprehensive geriatric) or interventions (potentially reducing falls) that are provided to all participants and not considered UC for the general community-dwelling population ≥ 65 years of aged

Non- or minimally active intervention (information)

UC as well as basic assessment related to falls risk factors without follow-up; brief pamphlet on falls risk or session on gentle exercises

Non- or minimally active intervention (social engagement)

UC as well as social visits/engagement, including group sessions

  1. Abbreviations: CBT cognitive behavioral therapy, UC usual care
  2. aInterventions will also be categorized as single-component (e.g., one or more single interventions from a single category), multiple component (more than one single intervention from different categories offered to all people), and multifactorial (one or more single interventions are offered from different categories, based on an individual risk assessment). Multifactorial interventions will be assumed to include an assessment involving multiple falls risk factors, whereas other interventions will also be assumed to include some form of assessment (e.g., gait, medication review, dietary assessment)
  3. bExcluded interventions and add-on quality improvement strategies cannot be the only intervention provided, but may be an included component of a multiple component or multifactorial intervention. Single interventions not specified in the table will be considered
  4. cAll three possible control groups will be considered for the analysis; the forest plots will then be visually inspected to determine the degree of similarity between theses nodes, and they may be joined into 1 or 2 nodes thereafter
  5. dWe will seek clinical input from the WG and clinical/topic experts before excluding any studies that may have UC that is not relevant/generalizable to the target population
Back to article page

Systematic Reviews

ISSN: 2046-4053