There are so many facets to consider when thinking about what constitutes good health. As much as the perceptions of good health can vary among our patients, it is also important to remember that patients do not always readily volunteer information. In other words, if we do not check for, ask about or assess, then the problem will remain unbeknownest and unaddressed.
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My last post focused on the topic of pharmacists taking on greater roles in the area of patient assessment. That earlier post called on pharmacists to accept accountability and to proactively take on the role of assessing and addressing the highly prevalent and tremendously costly problems associated with medication non-adherence. I promised then that I would return to this topic of the advanced role of the pharmacist in "patient assessment", and how ideally pharmacists are positioned within our healthcare system to help reduce risk, injury and overall healthcare costs. Specifically, I mentioned I would use this post (and a future one) to prompt pharmacists and student-pharmacists in using their knowledge and skills to address two increasingly important, yet previously under-addressed and costly public health problems: falls among seniors and substance use disorders in general.
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This past Wednesday marked the beginning of fall and all the brilliant colors and crisp weather that Mother Nature will soon usher our way. The
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the
National Council on Aging (NCOA) remind us annually that the first day of fall coincides with National Falls Prevention Day. Lately, falls and falls risk have been a big part of my personal and professional life. During this past year, I have had the wonderful opportunity of chairing a committee for the
American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) on falls risk assessment and risk reduction. We have been working on materials specifically designed to help pharmacists in various practice settings assess their patients for falls risk. Ironically, while conducting part of this work, my mother, who lives in another state, incurred a fall resulting in injury and a hospitalization. Despite the serious nature of my mother's fall, I watched with an elevated sense of awareness and curiosity, as every single healthcare team member provided wonderful care for her injuries; yet, not one healthcare professional assessed the multi-factorial nature of her fall.
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Given the "baby boomer" statistics, every day our senior population is growing. As the senior population grows, so does the incidence of falls. According to the
NCOA, each year, one out of every three seniors falls. More importantly, seniors who have fallen, without injury, often do not report the fall. Early intervention is important because the history of a fall is a major risk factor for subsequent falls. Falls frequently lead to injury, loss of independence and death. In fact, falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injury among individuals age 65 or older. The CDC has created the
STEADI toolkit and training materials to help healthcare providers screen and reduce falls risk among their patients. STEADI stands for "Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries". The
CDC has estimated that the integration of STEADI in practice by 5000 healthcare providers, over a five-year period, can help prevent a million falls, and save $3.5 billion in falls-related medical costs.
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The majority of seniors reside in the community and the community pharmacist is one of the most trusted and most accessible healthcare providers. Furthermore, given that medications are a frequent cause of falling, pharmacists who learn how to integrate a falls risk reduction program into their practice have the potential to make a huge difference in this public health initiative and the lives of their patients.
Please comment regarding your thoughts on pharmacists assessing for falls risk. Share your opinions on how best to integrate a falls assessment service into your practice. Finally, if you are interested in piloting a falls risk assessment service as a part of your practice, let me know.
Given the "baby boomer" statistics, every day our senior population is growing. As the senior population grows, so does the incidence of falls. According to the NCOA, each year, one out of every three seniors falls. More importantly, seniors who have fallen, without injury, often do not report the fall. Early intervention is important because the history of a fall is a major risk factor for subsequent falls. Falls frequently lead to injury, loss of independence and death. In fact, falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injury among individuals age 65 or older. The CDC has created the STEADI toolkit and training materials to help healthcare providers screen and reduce falls risk among their patients. STEADI stands for "Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries". The CDC has estimated that the integration of STEADI in practice by 5000 healthcare providers, over a five-year period, can help prevent a million falls, and save $3.5 billion in falls-related medical costs. 
All is takes is one fall to change all future plans. Since we are such accessible providers, I think pharmacist assessment is not only a great idea but the responsible action for our profession!
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