A falls early response service in Aotearoa New Zealand: a scoping review

To understand the extent and type of evidence available on a joint service between occupational therapy and paramedics in a community falls early response service (FERS).

Three databases and Google Scholar were searched for published and grey material that combined occupational therapy and paramedicine community FERS. Two independent reviewers screened citations and then assessed articles for selection. Data extraction was performed by a third researcher and verified by the two reviewers.

Fourteen sources were included from the initial 6,432 screened, and 128 were subsequently assessed. The 14 sources were published between 2010 and 2023, with over 50% published after 2019. The number of participants in the studies ranged from 23 to over 35,000, with a variety of combinations of healthcare professionals.

This review suggests that a combined occupational therapy and paramedicine FERS would benefit people who fall, the ambulance service and hospital care providers from a cost and resource point of view. A pilot study to further evaluate the cost and benefits of this kind of service is being explored based on the results of this scoping review.