A Fall Prevention Feasibility Trial for People With HIV and Alcohol Use.
Simone V Gill, Danny Shin, Theresa W Kim and 5 others
PMID 38554013WHAT IT FOUND
A pilot OT fall prevention package of virtual group sessions, home exercises, and phone calls was feasible: 23 were randomized and 22 completed, but virtual group attendance was low.
It did not establish whether it prevents falls.
Key findings
01Of 56 screened, 43 were eligible, 25 enrolled, and 23 were randomized; 22 of 23 completed posttest.
02Median attendance was 2 virtual group sessions and 7 phone check-ins; satisfaction averaged 30.4, with scores ranging from 27.0 to 32.0.
03In the intervention arm, falls decreased from 9 of 12 at pretest to 4 of 11 at posttest; the adjusted odds of a fall versus controls was nonsignificant (OR 0.22; 95% CI 0.02, 2.46).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 23 were randomized, so the study cannot show whether the package prevents falls. Participants were already enrolled in a falls study, so their willingness may not match typical patients. The intervention was not manualized, so other clinics may not reproduce it exactly. The authors did not know why virtual group attendance was low. Satisfaction scores were very high and may have ceiling effects.
Declared interests
NIH extramural research support is listed; no full conflict-of-interest declaration is provided in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower falls in the intervention group as proof the package prevents falls. This was a feasibility pilot not powered for that, and the adjusted odds of a fall versus controls was nonsignificant.