The Effect of an Intensive Geriatric Continuing Medical Education Program on the Implementation of STEADI-Based Fall...

Area of Science:

• Geriatrics
• Primary Care Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Universal fall risk screening is recommended in primary care but faces implementation challenges.
• Competing clinical priorities and inadequate training hinder widespread adoption of fall risk screening.
• The Geriatric Mini-Fellowship (GMF) is a continuing medical education program designed to enhance geriatric care knowledge and skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of the GMF program on the adoption of fall risk screening in primary care settings.
• To determine if primary care providers (PCPs) with GMF exposure are more likely to implement fall risk screening compared to those without exposure.
• To assess the trend of fall risk screening rates over a five-year period following GMF program implementation.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of 133,068 patients aged 65 and older within a large health system.
• Patients were categorized into three groups based on their provider's GMF exposure: direct GMF completers, GMF-influenced (clinic with a GMF provider), and usual care.
• Multivariate models were used to compare annual fall risk screening rates and estimate the odds of screening based on provider training exposure.

Main Results:

• Primary care providers who completed GMF training demonstrated a significantly higher predicted probability of screening patients for fall risk compared to usual care providers.
• The positive association between GMF provider exposure and fall risk screening persisted annually.
• The screening advantage for GMF-exposed providers increased over the study period, from 5.8% in 2019 to 12% in 2023.

Conclusions:

• Intensive geriatric education, such as the GMF program, effectively promotes sustained fall risk screening in primary care.
• Fall risk screening is a critical first step in identifying at-risk individuals.
• Identifying high-risk patients enables further assessment of modifiable factors and targeted interventions to prevent falls.