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Design and Analysis for Fall Detection System Simplification
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Economic evaluations of fall prevention exercise programs: a systematic review.
Marina B Pinheiro1,2, Catherine Sherrington3,2, Kirsten Howard2,4
1Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia marina.pinheiro@sydney.edu.au.
British Journal of Sports Medicine
|October 27, 2022
Summary
Fall prevention exercise programs for older adults are likely cost-effective, particularly for those at high risk. While community-based programs show promise, evidence for care facilities is limited but encouraging.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Health Economics
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- Falls are a significant public health concern among older adults, leading to injuries, reduced quality of life, and increased healthcare costs.
- Exercise programs are a primary intervention strategy for fall prevention, but their economic value requires thorough investigation.
Approach:
- A systematic review of economic evaluations and costing studies was conducted, searching multiple databases from inception to May 2022.
- Included studies focused on exercise interventions for fall prevention in community-dwelling older adults and those in care facilities, analyzing cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) and costs per fall prevented or QALY gained.
Key Points:
- For community-dwelling older adults, most fall prevention exercise programs were found to be cost-effective, with ICERs varying widely.
- Programs offering the greatest value were identified for older adults and those with high fall risk; unsupervised exercise showed poor value.
- For care facilities, evidence is limited but suggests potential cost-effectiveness, with some interventions being dominant or having low costs per fall prevented.
Conclusions:
- Fall prevention exercise programs demonstrate moderate certainty of being cost-effective, especially for community-dwelling older adults.
- While evidence for care facilities is less extensive, findings are promising, indicating potential economic benefits.
- Further research and standardized reporting of intervention costs are needed to refine economic evaluations.
