INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM IN FALL MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION

Since falls are often a combination of multiple causative factors, the skills of multidisciplinary teams are frequently required to determine and implement the best possible management and prevention plan and quality assurance processes, with appropriate referrals made between various members within the team according to a patient’s demonstrated areas of need. There may be significant overlap in care, with clinicians from more than one discipline addressing the same issues (e.g., patient safety education, vestibular rehabilitation).

A comprehensive management team may include (but is not limited to) the following disciplines and tasks:

Physicians/Primary Care Providers

• Examine for, diagnose, and manage medical causes of falls
• Make referrals to other disciplines or community-based programs, as appropriate

Nurses

• Coordinate care between multidisciplinary team members
• Supervise and/or educate facility staff on the patient’s fall risk status and current safety measures
• Monitor patient status (vital signs, etc.) for changes
• Document and implement risk-reduction strategies (in facility settings)
• Provide patient education/advocacy

Physical Therapists

• Evaluate and help improve strength, balance, and community-level mobility
• Provide recommendations and training on assistive devices (such as canes, walkers, grab bars, etc.)
• Help identify community-based exercise programs for long-term activity options
• Provide more advanced vestibular evaluation and rehabilitation (when specially trained and/or certified)

Occupational Therapists

• Evaluate safety of activities of daily living (ADLs) and offer adaptive strategies as needed
• Assess and offer strategies for optimizing home- or community-based safety
• Provide more advanced vestibular evaluation and rehabilitation (when specially trained and/or certified)

Other Care Team Members

• Psychologists: Screen for any underlying cognitive impairments or depression; help connect individuals to community-based support
• Pharmacists: Review medications for side effects (dizziness, light-headedness, altered blood pressure, etc.) that may affect balance and work with physicians to minimize side effects of consider alternate medication options
• Optometrists/ophthalmologists: Assess vision and vision-related needs that may affect balance
• Audiologists: Assess hearing and screens for vestibular-related issues that may affect balance

Community-based organizations (such as senior centers, parks/recreation departments, hospitals, churches, etc.) may also provide support resource such as affordable exercise/activity options.
(FPTA, n.d.; VEDA, 2023d; Performance Health, 2023)