J Korean Geriatr Soc.  2016 Mar;20(1):1-28. 10.4235/jkgs.2016.20.1.1.

Evidence-Based Guideline for Fall Prevention in Korea

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
  • 2Department of Internal Medicine, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 3Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 4Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, Korea.
  • 5Korean Physicians' Association, Seoul, Korea.
  • 6Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Univeristy of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 7Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 8Department of Neurology, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.
  • 9Department of Family Medicine, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 10Department of Rehabilitation, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam, Korea.
  • 11Department of Preventive Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 12Department of Internal Medicine, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. jgkimd@cau.ac.kr

Abstract

Falls and fall-related injuries are common amongst the elderly population and have deleterious effects on the quality of life or independence in daily living in the elderly. Falling is also associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, nursing home admission, and an increase in medical costs. Given that Korea has shown an extreme demographic shift with its population aging at the fastest pace among developed countries, assessment of fall risks and implementing intervention strategies to the high-risk population are getting more important. The guidelines for the prevention of falls were developed first by The Korean Association of Internal Medicine and The Korean Geriatric Society. These guidelines were developed by an adaptation process and the use of an evidence-based method; 4 guidelines were retrieved by systematic review and by the AGREE (appraisal of guidelines for research and evaluation) II process and 7 statements were made based on the grading of evidence, and these recommendations followed the GRADE (grades of recommendation, assessment, development, and evaluation) framework. Given that falls result from a various combination of many factors, the guidelines contain multidimensional assessment measures and multimodal strategies to prevent falls. These guidelines were developed not only for use by primary physicians but also for patients and the general population. Therefore, these guidelines provide detailed recommendations and concrete measures for the assessment of the risk of a fall and to prevent falls amongst the elderly population.

Keyword

Accidental falls; Guidelines; Aged; Prevention

MeSH Terms

Accidental Falls
Aged
Aging
Developed Countries
Humans
Internal Medicine
Korea*
Mortality
Nursing Homes
Quality of Life
Full Text Links
  • JKGS
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr