System-level interventions for fall risk assessment, fall prevention and fall injury prevention in long-term care facilities: a scoping review

Objectives: Older adults living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are at high risk for falls. Interventions to prevent falls and fall-related injury in this population may be individual-level or system-focused interventions. However, relatively little attention has been given to research on system-focused interventions. This scoping review seeks to synthesise previous studies on the effects of system-focused interventions for fall prevention in LTCFs.

Methods: We searched Ovid-Medline, CINAHL and Embase databases from 2007 to 2024 following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for Scoping Reviews. We conducted a narrative synthesis to summarise findings from the included studies.

Results: In the initial search, 403 studies were identified and underwent title and abstract screening resulting in 116 articles retrieved for full-text review. 20 studies were included in the final data extraction. System-level fall prevention interventions evaluated in LTCFs include (1) multicomponent and multidisciplinary programmes, (2) environmental adaptations, (3) technological adaptations, and (4) staff education and training programmes. 11 out of 17 included quantitative studies reported significant effects of system-focused interventions to reduce falls in LTCFs.

Conclusions: This scoping review reveals the effectiveness of system-level fall prevention strategies in LTCFs. Enhancing training, customising tools and fostering a supportive leadership culture are vital for improving fall prevention practices in LTCFs.