Expanding the reach of a fall prevention intervention for older adult emergency department patients through telehealth: a trial protocol.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Falls are a leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits among older adults, yet many patients are discharged without a clear understanding of their fall risk factors or access to timely prevention services. The Geriatric Acute and Post-Acute Fall Prevention (GAPcare) intervention has demonstrated efficacy in reducing fall-related ED revisits by addressing these factors during the ED visit. Still, its reliance on in-person specialists limits scalability to smaller and lower-resourced EDs.

Methods

This study outlines a protocol for adapting GAPcare into a telehealth-enabled model (e-GAPcare) using a two-phase implementation science approach. Phase 1 engages ED staff, patients, and caregivers in structured workgroups to guide the adaptation of telehealth while

SUBMITTER: Keleman A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12753965 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature