Economic evaluation of the e-Health StandingTall balance exercise programme for fall prevention in people aged 70 years and over.

BACKGROUND: globally, falls and fall-related injuries are the leading cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality in older people. In our ageing society healthcare costs are increasing, therefore programmes that reduce falls and are considered value for money are needed. OBJECTIVE: to complete an economic evaluation of an e-Health balance exercise programme that reduced falls and injurious falls in community-dwelling older people compared to usual care from a health and community-care funder perspective. DESIGN: a within-trial economic evaluation of an assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial with 2 years of follow-up. SETTING: StandingTall was delivered via tablet-computer at home to older community-dwelling people in Sydney, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: five hundred and three individuals aged 70+ years who were independent in activities of daily living, without cognitive impairment, progressive neurological disease or any other unstable or acute medical condition precluding exercise. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: cost-effectiveness was measured as the incremental cost per fall and per injurious fall prevented. Cost-utility was measured as the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. MAIN RESULTS: the total average cost per patient for programme delivery and care resource cost was $8,321 (standard deviation [SD] 18,958) for intervention participants and $6,829 (SD 15,019) for control participants. The incremental cost per fall prevented was $4,785 and per injurious fall prevented was $6,585. The incremental cost per QALY gained was $58,039 (EQ5D-5L) and $110,698 (AQoL-6D). CONCLUSION: this evaluation found that StandingTall has the potential to be cost-effective in specific subpopulations of older people, but not necessarily the whole older population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12615000138583.

E-health StandingTall balance exercise for fall prevention in older people: results of a two year randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To test whether StandingTall, a home based, e-health balance exercise programme delivered through an app, could provide an effective, self-managed fall prevention programme for community dwelling older people. DESIGN: Assessor blinded, randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Older people living independently in the community in Sydney, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 503 people aged 70 years and older who were independent in activities of daily living, without cognitive impairment, progressive neurological disease, or any other unstable or acute medical condition precluding exercise. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were block randomised to an intervention group (two hours of StandingTall per week and health education; n=254) or a control group (health education; n=249) for two years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes were the rate of falls (number of falls per person year) and the proportion of people who had a fall over 12 months. Secondary outcomes were the number of people who had a fall and the number who had an injurious fall (resulting in any injury or requiring medical care), adherence, mood, health related quality of life, and activity levels over 24 months; and balance and mobility outcomes over 12 months. RESULTS: The fall rates were not statistically different in the two groups after the first 12 months (0.60 falls per year (standard deviation 1.05) in the intervention group; 0.76 (1.25) in the control group; incidence rate ratio 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.62 to 1.13, P=0.071). Additionally, the proportion of people who fell was not statistically different at 12 months (34.6% in intervention group, 40.2% in control group; relative risk 0.90, 95% confidence interval 0.67 to 1.20, P=0.461). However, the intervention group had a 16% lower rate of falls over 24 months compared with the control group (incidence rate ratio 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.72 to 0.98, P=0.027). Both groups had a similar proportion of people who fell over 24 months (relative risk 0.87, 95% confidence interval 0.68 to 1.10, P=0.239), but the proportion of people who had an injurious fall over 24 months was 20% lower in the intervention group compared with the control group (relative risk 0.80, 95% confidence interval 0.66 to 0.98, P=0.031). In the intervention group, 68.1% and 52.0% of participants exercised for a median of 114.0 min/week (interquartile range 53.5) after 12 months and 120.4 min/week (38.6) after 24 months, respectively. Groups remained similar in mood and activity levels. The intervention group had a 0.03 (95% confidence interval 0.01 to 0.06) improvement on the EQ-5D-5L (EuroQol five dimension five level) utility score at six months, and an improvement in standing balance of 11 s (95% confidence interval 2 to 19 s) at six months and 10 s (1 to 19 s) at 12 months. No serious training related adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: The StandingTall balance exercise programme did not significantly affect the primary outcomes of this study. However, the programme significantly reduced the rate of falls and the number of injurious falls over two years, with similar but not statistically significant effects at 12 months. E-health exercise programmes could provide promising scalable fall prevention strategies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12615000138583.

Perioperative Effects Associated With the Surgical Treatment of Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: Interbody Versus No Interbody.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective analysis. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical, radiographic, and perioperative complication profiles of performing an interbody and posterior arthrodesis (CAGE) versus posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) alone in patients undergoing surgery for degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: DS is a common disorder that, failing nonoperative treatment, may be managed with surgical decompression and concomitant posterior arthrodesis. At present, the risk/benefit ratio of including an additional interbody arthrodesis has not been clearly delineated in the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 174 consecutive patients (118 female and 56 male) diagnosed with single-level DS that met the inclusion/exclusion criteria, from January 1, 2000 to August 1, 2011. Clinical outcomes, fusion rates, radiographic outcomes, and complication profiles were recorded. RESULTS: We identified 174 patients who received a single-level lumbar interbody fusion with posterolateral fusion (CAGE, n=89) or posterolateral fusion alone (PLF, n=85). No difference in patient-reported outcomes or fusion rate was detected between the 2 groups. We did identify better segmental lordosis increase (4.9±3.2 vs. 0.9±1.9 degrees; P=0.001) and interdiscal height change (2.1±2.4 vs. 0.6±1.6 mm) in the CAGE group. Operative time, 199.8±36.6 versus 142.6±28.5 minutes (P<0.001); blood loss, 355±216.4 versus 269±28.5 mL (P<0.001); and postoperative radiculitis, 28.9% versus 7.0% (P=0.003) were worse in the CAGE group compared with the PLF group. CONCLUSIONS: The ideal surgical approach when treating patients with DS remains in question. This study suggests, when comparing PLF with or without additional interbody fusion, that the lack of clinical or fusion-related benefit may not justify the higher risk profile including longer surgery, higher blood loss, and increased risk of postoperative radiculitis. Long-term prospective studies are required to further clarify these findings. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Adherence to Technology-Based Exercise Programs in Older Adults: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Exercise participation and adherence in older people is often low. The integration of technology-based exercise programs may have a positive effect on adherence as they can overcome perceived barriers to exercise. Previous systematic reviews have shown preliminary evidence that technology-based exercise programs can improve physical functioning. However, there is currently no in-depth description and discussion of the potential this technology offers to improve exercise adherence in older people. This review examines the literature regarding older adults' acceptability and adherence to technology-based exercise interventions. METHODS: A comprehensive systematic database search for randomized controlled trials, clinical controlled trials, and parallel group trials was performed, including MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, EMB Reviews, and Cochrane Library, completed in May 2015. Trials reporting adherence to technology-based exercise programs aimed at improving physical function were included. Adherence was defined as the percentage of exercise sessions attended out of the total number of sessions prescribed. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies were included. The mean cohort age range was 67 to 86 years. Studies were conducted in research facilities, aged care facilities, and people's homes. Ten studies compared outcomes between technology-based and traditional exercise programs. Adherence to both types of interventions was high (median 91.25% and 83.58%, respectively). Adherence was higher for technology-based interventions than traditional interventions independent of study site, level of supervision, and delivery mode. The majority of the studies used commercially available gaming technologies, and both types of exercise interventions were mostly supervised. A lack of detailed reporting of adherence and the pilot nature of most studies did not allow computation of a comprehensive adherence rate. DISCUSSION: This systematic review provides evidence that technology offers a well-accepted method to provide older adults with engaging exercise opportunities, and adherence rates remain high in both supervised and unsupervised settings at least throughout the first 12 weeks of intervention. The higher adherence rates to technology-based interventions can be largely explained by the high reported levels of enjoyment when using these programs. However, the small sample sizes, short follow-up periods, inclusion of mostly healthy older people, and problems related to the methods used to report exercise adherence limit the generalizability of our findings. CONCLUSION: This systematic review indicates that technology-based exercise interventions have good adherence and may provide a sustainable means of promoting physical activity and preventing falls in older people. More research is required to investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of technology-based exercise programs undertaken by older people at home over extended trial periods.

ICT-based system to predict and prevent falls (iStoppFalls): results from an international multicenter randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Falls and fall-related injuries are a serious public health issue. Exercise programs can effectively reduce fall risk in older people. The iStoppFalls project developed an Information and Communication Technology-based system to deliver an unsupervised exercise program in older people's homes. The primary aims of the iStoppFalls randomized controlled trial were to assess the feasibility (exercise adherence, acceptability and safety) of the intervention program and its effectiveness on common fall risk factors. METHODS: A total of 153 community-dwelling people aged 65+ years took part in this international, multicentre, randomized controlled trial. Intervention group participants conducted the exercise program for 16 weeks, with a recommended duration of 120 min/week for balance exergames and 60 min/week for strength exercises. All intervention and control participants received educational material including advice on a healthy lifestyle and fall prevention. Assessments included physical and cognitive tests, and questionnaires for health, fear of falling, number of falls, quality of life and psychosocial outcomes. RESULTS: The median total exercise duration was 11.7 h (IQR = 22.0) over the 16-week intervention period. There were no adverse events. Physiological fall risk (Physiological Profile Assessment, PPA) reduced significantly more in the intervention group compared to the control group (F1,127 = 4.54, p = 0.035). There was a significant three-way interaction for fall risk assessed by the PPA between the high-adherence (>90 min/week; n = 18, 25.4 %), low-adherence (<90 min/week; n = 53, 74.6 %) and control group (F2,125 = 3.12, n = 75, p = 0.044). Post hoc analysis revealed a significantly larger effect in favour of the high-adherence group compared to the control group for fall risk (p = 0.031), postural sway (p = 0.046), stepping reaction time (p = 0.041), executive functioning (p = 0.044), and quality of life (p for trend = 0.052). CONCLUSIONS: The iStoppFalls exercise program reduced physiological fall risk in the study sample. Additional subgroup analyses revealed that intervention participants with better adherence also improved in postural sway, stepping reaction, and executive function. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Trial ID: ACTRN12614000096651 International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number: ISRCTN15932647.

The effect of sensor-based exercise at home on functional performance associated with fall risk in older people - a comparison of two exergame interventions.

BACKGROUND: There is good evidence that balance challenging exercises can reduce falls in older people. However, older people often find it difficult to incorporate such programs in their daily life. Videogame technology has been proposed to promote enjoyable, balance-challenging exercise. As part of a larger analysis, we compared feasibility and efficacy of two exergame interventions: step-mat-training (SMT) and Microsoft-Kinect® (KIN) exergames. METHODS: 148 community-dwelling people, aged 65+ years participated in two exergame studies in Sydney, Australia (KIN: n = 57, SMT: n = 91). Both interventions were delivered as unsupervised exercise programs in participants' homes for 16 weeks. Assessment measures included overall physiological fall risk, muscle strength, finger-press reaction time, proprioception, vision, balance and executive functioning. RESULTS: For participants allocated to the intervention arms, the median time played each week was 17 min (IQR 32) for KIN and 48 min (IQR 94) for SMT. Compared to the control group, SMT participants improved their fall risk score (p = 0.036), proprioception (p = 0.015), reaction time (p = 0.003), sit-to-stand performance (p = 0.011) and executive functioning (p = 0.001), while KIN participants improved their muscle strength (p = 0.032) and vision (p = 0.010), and showed a trend towards improved fall risk scores (p = 0.057). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that it is feasible for older people to conduct an unsupervised exercise program at home using exergames. Both interventions reduced fall risk and SMT additionally improved specific cognitive functions. However, further refinement of the systems is required to improve adherence and maximise the benefits of exergames to deliver fall prevention programs in older people's homes. TRIAL REGISTRATIONS: ACTRN12613000671763 (Step Mat Training RCT) ACTRN12614000096651 (MS Kinect RCT).

The design of a purpose-built exergame for fall prediction and prevention for older people.

BACKGROUND: Falls in older people represent a major age-related health challenge facing our society. Novel methods for delivery of falls prevention programs are required to increase effectiveness and adherence to these programs while containing costs. The primary aim of the Information and Communications Technology-based System to Predict and Prevent Falls (iStoppFalls) project was to develop innovative home-based technologies for continuous monitoring and exercise-based prevention of falls in community-dwelling older people. The aim of this paper is to describe the components of the iStoppFalls system. METHODS: The system comprised of 1) a TV, 2) a PC, 3) the Microsoft Kinect, 4) a wearable sensor and 5) an assessment and training software as the main components. RESULTS: The iStoppFalls system implements existing technologies to deliver a tailored home-based exercise and education program aimed at reducing fall risk in older people. A risk assessment tool was designed to identify fall risk factors. The content and progression rules of the iStoppFalls exergames were developed from evidence-based fall prevention interventions targeting muscle strength and balance in older people. CONCLUSIONS: The iStoppFalls fall prevention program, used in conjunction with the multifactorial fall risk assessment tool, aims to provide a comprehensive and individualised, yet novel fall risk assessment and prevention program that is feasible for widespread use to prevent falls and fall-related injuries. This work provides a new approach to engage older people in home-based exercise programs to complement or provide a potentially motivational alternative to traditional exercise to reduce the risk of falling.

Reoperation and revision rates of 3 surgical treatment methods for lumbar stenosis associated with degenerative scoliosis and spondylolisthesis.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis. OBJECTIVE: To compare early treatment failures, survivorship, and clinical outcomes of 3 procedures used to treat symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis and degenerative deformity. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Symptomatic lumbar stenosis is commonly seen in association with degenerative deformity, often leading to more complex surgical treatment, with laminectomy and fusion, supplanting laminectomy alone. More recently, the interspinous process spacer (ISP), developed to treat straightforward spinal stenosis, has been used in patients with spinal deformity to limit morbidity, although no studies have compared outcomes in this patient population. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis of 90 consecutive patients, mean age 70 years, with 5-year mean follow-up (minimum, 2 yr), treated for stenosis with associated deformity with ISP device placement, laminectomy alone, or laminectomy and short-segment fusion. Early failure was defined as return to the operating room for revision of the index level or adjacent segment within 2 years. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed, and clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction was assessed. RESULTS: Reoperation within 2 years was noted in 16.7% of patients treated for spinal stenosis and mild deformity. There was a significantly higher rate of same-level recurrence in the ISP group (33.3%), than the laminectomy (8.3%) and lami/fusion groups (0%) (P< 0.0001). Early reoperation due to adjacent segment pathology (ASP) was most common in the lami/fusion group (13.3%). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed lowest survival for the ISP group and highest survival in the laminectomy-alone group at 2 years (P= 0.043) and 5 years (P= 0.007). CONCLUSION: Early failure was significantly more common in patients treated with an ISP device for spinal stenosis and lumbar deformity, whereas reoperation due to symptomatic adjacent segment pathology was most common in patients treated with laminectomy and fusion. Laminectomy alone had the highest rate of survival. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Psychological distress in a Department of Veterans Affairs spine patient population.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: The veteran population presents a unique confluence of biopsychosocial factors in the treatment of spinal conditions. In addition to poorer health status and higher numbers of chronic medical conditions compared with the general population, previous reports have highlighted the high prevalence of psychological disorders within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system. To our knowledge, no study has specifically evaluated psychological distress in patients with a spinal disorder within the VA health system. PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of psychological distress among spine patients in a VA hospital and if higher levels of distress correlated with patient demographics and self-reported patient outcome scores. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Cross-sectional evaluation of adult patients at a regional VA outpatient orthopedic spine surgery clinic. PATIENT SAMPLE: One hundred forty-nine adult patients presenting for treatment of spine-related disorders. OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients were evaluated using the Distress and Risk Assessment Method (DRAM), a validated survey consisting of the Zung Depression Scale and the Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire. In addition, self-reported pain, disability, and quality of life were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) for neck or back pain and the Neck Disability Index or Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) depending on the patient's location of pain. METHODS: The DRAM survey was used to determine the prevalence of psychological distress by classifying patients into normal, at-risk, and severe distress groups. Visual analog scale scores for neck and back pain, and self-reported disability scores, and demographic data including age, gender, combat experience, and use of antidepressant, anxiolytic, or narcotic medications were obtained at the time of enrollment. RESULTS: The DRAM survey identified 79.9% of patients as having some degree of psychological distress, whereas the remaining 20.1% were classified as normal. Among those with psychological distress, 43.6% of patients were categorized as severe distress. Compared with the normal group, a history of combat was more frequent in all distressed patient groups including the at-risk (p=.04) and severe distress (p=.009) groups. Those in the severe distress category more commonly reported the use of narcotics (p=.043) and antidepressant/anxiolytics medications (p=.0001). Those in the severe distress group had significantly higher ODI scores (p<.0001) and back pain VAS scores (p=.0360) compared with the normal group. CONCLUSIONS: We identified a large number of patients (80%) with some level of psychological distress and 43% with severe distress. The percent of patients with severe psychological distress in the VA was double that previously reported in a non-VA patient setting. Patients with severe distress had higher ODI scores, back pain VAS scores, use of narcotics and antidepressants, and a reported history of combat when compared with those without distress.