Preventing Falls Among Older Adults in Primary Care: A Mixed Methods Process Evaluation Using the RE-AIM Framework.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Falls are a leading cause of injuries and injury deaths for older adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Stopping Elderly Accidents Deaths and Injuries (STEADI) initiative, a multifactorial approach to fall prevention, was adapted for implementation within the primary care setting of a health system in upstate New York. The purpose of this article is to: (a) report process evaluation results for this implementation using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework and (b) examine the utility of RE-AIM for assessing barriers and facilitators. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This evaluation used mixed methods. Qualitative evaluation involved semistructured interviews with key stakeholders and intercept interviews with health care providers and clinic staff. Quantitative methods utilized surveys with clinic staff. Process evaluation tools were developed based on the AIM dimensions of the RE-AIM framework. The study was conducted over a 2-month period, approximately 18 months postimplementation, and complements previously published results of the program's reach and effectiveness. RESULTS: Primary barriers by RE-AIM construct included competing organizational priorities (Adoption), competing patient care demands (Implementation), and staff turnover (Maintenance). Primary facilitators included having a physician champion (Adoption), preparing and training staff (Implementation), and communicating about STEADI and recognizing accomplishments (Maintenance). DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Results revealed a high degree of concordance between qualitative and quantitative analyses. The framework supported assessments of various stakeholders, multiple organizational levels, and the sequence of practice change activities. Mixed methods yielded rich data to inform future implementations of STEADI-based fall prevention.

Optimizing Efforts to Promote Mental Health on College and University Campuses: Recommendations to Facilitate Usage of Services, Resources, and Supports.

Mental health has long been a challenge on college and university campuses. Though it has historically taken a back seat to physical health, college administrators recently identified mental health as a key area for additional support. With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing mental health into the conversation across the country, there is no more critical and opportune time for colleges and universities to prioritize mental health. Many public and private universities alike have begun to do this, but how can they ensure that the services and resources they are providing and promoting get used and that students, faculty, and staff reap the benefits of these efforts? This commentary describes a set of universal steps the authors recommend based on their experience working with colleges and universities across New York State to increase uptake and usage of services.

Implementation of the Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries Initiative in Primary Care: An Outcome Evaluation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Older adult falls pose a growing burden on the U.S. health care system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries (STEADI) initiative was developed as a multifactorial approach to fall prevention that includes screening for fall risk, assessing for modifiable risk factors, and prescribing evidence-based interventions to reduce fall risk. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a STEADI initiative on medically treated falls within a large health care system in Upstate New York. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This cohort study classified older adults who were screened for fall risk into 3 groups: (a) At-risk and no Fall Plan of Care (FPOC), (b) At-risk with a FPOC, and (c) Not-at-risk. Poisson regression examined the group's effect on medically treated falls when controlling for other variables. The sample consisted of 12,346 adults age 65 or older who had a primary care visit at one of 14 outpatient clinics between September 11, 2012, and October 30, 2015. A medically treated fall was defined as a fall-related treat-and-release emergency department visit or hospitalization. RESULTS: Older adults at risk for fall with a FPOC were 0.6 times less likely to have a fall-related hospitalization than those without a FPOC (p = .041), and their postintervention odds were similar to those who were not at risk. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: This study demonstrated that implementation of STEADI fall risk screening and prevention strategies among older adults in the primary care setting can reduce fall-related hospitalizations and may lower associated health care expenditures.