Fall assessment in older people.

Falls are common in older people and are the leading cause of injury related admissions to hospital in people of 65 years and over, accounting for about 14% of emer‐ gency admissions and 4% of all hospital admissions in this age group. A fall may result from acute disease (for example, chest infection), chronic underlying pathology (for example, Parkinson’s disease), or the interaction of a person with their surroundings (for example, tripping on a pavement). Evidence indicates that many falls could be prevented through appropriate assessment and interven‐ tion. The terms “fall risk screening” and “fall risk assess‐ ment” are sometimes used interchangeably. Screening is a process that primarily aims to identify people at increased risk of falls, whereas assessment aims to identify factors that increase the risk of a fall that can be dealt with by sub‐ sequent intervention. In the community setting, a fall risk screen can be used at a population level to identify older people who need a more detailed fall risk assessment and intervention or onward referral (see box 1).