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Fall Risk Screening in Older Adult Patients on Chronic Opioid Therapy: A Quality Improvement Project.
Summary
Older adults on opioid pain medication face high fall risks. A pilot study found that electronic health record prompts increased screening, revealing 43% of screened patients were at high risk, highlighting the need for consistent fall risk assessment.
Area of Science:
- Geriatrics
- Pharmacology
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- Older adults prescribed opioid pain medications are at an elevated risk of falls.
- Fall risk assessment is crucial for this demographic to prevent injuries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility of implementing a fall risk screening pilot for older adults on chronic opioids.
- To examine fall risk factors within this patient cohort.
- To identify clinical and demographic differences between screened and unscreened patients.
Main Methods:
- A 9-month quality improvement (QI) pilot project was conducted at a university clinic.
- Electronic Health Record (EHR) prompts were used to increase fall risk screening rates.
- Observed correlations between high fall risk and factors like opioid dosage, benzodiazepine use, and age.
Main Results:
- Fall risk screening rates increased from 18% to 33% with EHR prompts.
- Among screened patients, 43% were identified as high fall risk.
- No significant correlation was found between high fall risk and higher opioid doses or concurrent benzodiazepine prescriptions.
Conclusions:
- Implementing fall risk screening in busy clinical practices is feasible.
- Consistent screening is essential, as medication review alone is insufficient for predicting fall risk in older adults on opioids.
