Accidental Falls Care Bundle

Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial for the Evaluation of Effectiveness of a Accidental Falls Care Bundle Implementation in Elderly Hospital Patients.

Accidental falls represents an elderly very important health problem, both in the community and within the hospital. The aim of this research project is to evaluate the effectiveness of accidental falls prevention care bundle in geriatrics, internal medicine, post acute, and rehabilitation wards, in terms of incidence and outcome reduction. It will be also investigated the cost effectiveness ratio, in terms of falls avoided, care bundle implementation costs, and falls related healthcare costs. The study will permit to evaluate the implementation feasibleness in time, considering the study will last for 20 months.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with ≥ 75 years of age with or without documented fall risk and patients with < 75 years of age, but ≥ 18, only at documented fall risk, admitted at participant wards. The risk assessment will be performed with Conley scale and/or on the base of some specific fall risk characteristics (previous falls, cognitive impairment, neuropsychological damage, increased need to go to the bathroom for increased evacuative needs, neuroleptic or cardiovascular drugs assumption);
• Patients (or legal guardian for those incapable of giving their consent) that give their consent to the study participation .

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients or legal guardian that don't give their consent to study participation.