Causation and Treatment Algorithms for Elderly Patients who have Fallen in the Twin Tiers

Introduction One-third of people aged 65 years of age and older fall annually. Vitamin D is key in maintaining muscle mass and bone structure. The purpose of this quality improvement project is to evaluate the current treatment of elderly patients who experience falls, educate providers on the importance of vitamin D, and measure the changes. Methods We obtained baseline data from the electronic medical records (EMR) of patients who had experienced falls from over a two-year period. We also surveyed providers from the departments of internal medicine (IM) and family medicine (FM) to evaluate fall treatment, educated providers on new protocols, reviewed EMRs of patients that had fallen and surveyed FM and IM providers after education. Results We found that vitamin D supplementation and home health (HH) referral were marginally improved after education and that significant improvement was found in patients being referred to physical therapy (PT). Conclusion Establishing a fall treatment protocol leads to more consistent care among FM and IM providers. Reviewing and updating of the protocol based on outcomes and subsequent research is recommended for improvement in patient care.