Older adults at risk of falling had modestly fewer medically recorded falls when their primary care clinics could easily prescribe a short home strength and balance program, according to a trial published Oct. 16 in JAMA Network Open. Each session takes about 10 minutes and needs no extra equipment.
The eSTEPS trial included 11,945 adults age 65 and older who screened positive for fall risk at 22 primary care practices in one health system. Practices using the tool recorded 19.3 falls per 100 patient-years, compared with 21.2 in practices providing usual care, a 9% lower rate.
