As age catches up with many people, they become susceptible to many complications and key among them falling. Falls are a health issue that is most common among older adults. For instance, in the US, in every three people aged over 65 years, one gets to fall at least every once a year. The proportion of falls increases with age since one out of every two people above 80 years fall at the same rate. The falls, it is important to mention that they also come along with several complications and as such, several health institutions have tried to come up with clinical and medical solutions for the problem. This paper hence is set to highlight what can be done to reduce falls and the severity that come along with them in older adults. Following the guidelines of the article “The effect of fall prevention exercise programs on fall induced injuries in community dwelling older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials written by El-Khoury et al., (2015),” the paper is set to address said interventions and how they can be put to work in a clear and systematic way. Also, it is going to explain how the interventions are meant to benefit older people regarding fall related injuries.
The article begins by outlaying its objectives which state the purpose of the research. The objectives state how the research is to determine whether and to what extend the use of exercises as an intervention to falling among the older community will be effective in preventing fall related injuries. With the use of several electronic databases in handling of related data, the research was conducted through controlled trials of fall prevention by the use of exercise interventions. The trials targeted people older than 60 years and the data acquired was categorized into various types of falls which included injurious falls, serious falls and fall related injuries. Consequently, a data synthesis based on a systematic review of each case was done which pooled the estimated rate ratio of each category of the falls (El-Khoury et al., 2015).
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After 17 trials that involved 4,305 participants, the results of the study were more appealing. The study identified four categories of falls (all injurious falls, severe injurious falls, falls resulting in medical care and falls resulting in fractures). The study found that exercise as a mode of intervention had a major effect as far as all the categories were concerned. Following pooled estimates, rate ratios of 0.63 (0.51-0.77 over ten trials) for injurious falls, 0.39 (0.22-0.66 over six trials) for falls resulting in injuries, 0.57 (0.36-0.90 over seven trials) for severe injurious falls and 0.70 (0.54-0.92 over eight trials) for falls resulting in medical care were recorded. But it was also discovered that heterogeneity was detected in studies relating to injurious falls (El-Khoury et al., 2015). Following the results, it is conclusive to say that some of the exercises meant to prevent falls in older adults can also be effective in reducing related injuries whether mild or severe. As a result, they also reduce the rate of falls that lead to medical attention.
The article gives a clear analysis of how exercise interventions can also be effective in reducing fall related injuries. This it does through the use of trials that are spread in different categories of fall related injuries. As such, the article is able to give a clear perspective of how effective exercises are in minimizing the different kinds fall related episodes. To prove the authenticity of the results, the article applies a more scientific analytical approach to synthesize and determine the results. This scientific approach has proved to also be effective in other related studies like one done by Goodwin et al., (2014). They use a similar technique of randomized trials where results were analyzed to come up with the different ratios in relation to effects of the various falls. The results of the study provide a substantial evidence that intervention to falls by use of exercises reduces the susceptibility of older people to the risks involved. This point of view is shared by Uusi-Rasi et al., (2015) and Li et al., (2013) who acknowledge that exercise reduces falls in this community of people by giving similar evidence in their respective studies. A similar study done by Chang, (2004) with over 40 trials spread across the same fall categories ended up justifying the need for exercises and how they can reduce falls and risks related.
In addition, the study done by Goodwin et al., (2014) further credits the research by acknowledging that a considerable heterogeneity was discovered in the trials although on varying basis. Following the systematic review of the study and the conclusive analysis of findings to relate to other peer reviewed studies, it is of note to say that the article can be relied upon for research in the health department. The article veered from subject of exercise intervention and sought to find out why said intervention can be used to risks related to falling. It also provides ground for further research since it gives ground for future researchers to find out more about exercise interventions and how they can be used to prevent fall risks more effectively.
The databases used for the research of the articles include BMC Geriatrics, American Geriatrics Society, Jama, and BMJ. The four databases are widely used to store and allay scientific studies and research that is peer reviewed. This means that material found on these databases can be trusted for learning of further research in the respective subjects of the various articles. The reviewed article was published in 2013, an indication that it is a recent research hence the results can be applied currently to good effect. All the subsequent articles are also current as they range from 2013-2015 with only one being written in 2004. Their recent publication provides more belief to the review since the information it contains is based on evidence that has already been modified to benefit current users. Furthermore, the articles used in the review are all primary sources which means that the information provided is first hand evidence about the use of exercise intervention to reduce the effects of falling among older people. This is so because they provide results from experiments along with statistical data to back-up the experiments.
The articles in their own respect have provided related evidence about the subject although on varying experimental grounds, a factor that highlights their originality. All five articles were able to provide proof of exercise intervention contributing to a reduction in the various effects of falling. Each article provided results based on a meta-analysis of their respective experiments which is a show of confidence in the various results that the review is exposed to. Since every study is exposed to bias in terms of results in their respective field of study, it is normally required of an article to provide evidence of its case. Evidence is usually determined through a hierarchy and so the more a study design is placed higher up the hierarchy, the more it minimizes the likeliness that the results of the study could be biased. Many articles provide biased information that in most cases is meant to suit the target audience or the bearer of the information in some cases. Such articles with expert opinion are said to lack evidence and so deemed unfit to be used in academic quarters. In this case, the five articles involved in this review have used rigorous methodology to determine their results. The articles have provided filtered information in the form of systematic reviews and meta-analyses and as such are placed at the very top of the hierarchy hence providing evidence that their results are in no way biased.
In a nutshell, the reviewed article serves as an important aspect in the nursing and health industry as a whole regarding the issue of fall prevention and how exercise intervention can be used to reduce the effects of falls. It brings to the attention of nurses the idea that in as much as there are many other interventions to fall prevention, exercise is key among them and not only does it prevent older adults from falling but also reduces related effects. As such, care givers and practitioners are enlightened in how they can modify exercises to the different age brackets above 60 years so as to suit their safety and well-being. It also justifies clinical aspects toward the safety of older adults. By acknowledging in the beginning that exercise is a fall prevention intervention, the article supports a practice viewed fit to enhance health.
References
Chang, J. (2004). Interventions for the prevention of falls in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. BMJ , 328 (7441), 680-0. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.328.7441.680
El-Khoury, F., Cassou, B., Charles, M., & Dargent-Molina, P. (2015). The effect of fall prevention exercise programmes on fall induced injuries in community dwelling older adults:. British Journal Of Sports Medicine , 49 (20), 1348-1348. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f6234
Goodwin, V., Abbott, R., Whear, R., Bethel, A., Ukoumunne, O., Thompson-Coon, J., & Stein, K. (2014). Multiple component interventions for preventing falls and fall-related injuries among older people: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Geriatrics , 14 (1). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2318-14-15
Li, F., Harmer, P., Stock, R., Fitzgerald, K., Stevens, J., & Gladieux, M. et al. (2013). Implementing an Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Program in an Outpatient Clinical Setting. Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society , 61 (12), 2142-2149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jgs.12509
Uusi-Rasi, K., Patil, R., Karinkanta, S., Kannus, P., Tokola, K., Lamberg-Allardt, C., & Sievänen, H. (2015). Exercise and Vitamin D in Fall Prevention Among Older Women. JAMA Internal Medicine , 175 (5), 703. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.0225
