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Tahir Masud (Nottingham, UK)

Fall risk assessment and management

Topics to be covered

The two most important determinants in the pathogenesis of hip fractures are firstly, bone fragility (osteoporosis) and secondly the propensity to fall. Therefore measures to prevent hip fractures should focus on preventing falls in the at risk population as well as on optimising bone health. Teamwork between primary and secondary care has an important role to play in this regard, firstly in identifying those people at high risk of falls and fractures, and then in implementing evidence based measures shown to reduce fall risk. This session will focus on firstly the practicalities of identifying people at high risk of falls and secondly, will discuss interventions to reduce the risk of falls. Both multifactorial and unifactorial approaches will be considered. Finally the session will discuss current guidelines on falls management and will consider how to integrate osteoporosis treatment with falls prevention in routine practice.

Educational goals

After attending this Meet the Professor session, participants will be expected to:

• understand the role of falls in fracture pathogenesis;
• understand the epidemiology of falls;
• understand the non-fracture consequences of falls;
• be familiar with the evidence base for falls prevention strategies;
• understand the difference between unifactorial and multifactorial fall prevention strategies;
• be familiar with most recent International Falls Prevention Guidelines;
• be able to discuss strategies on how to combine falls prevention with osteoporosis treatment.

Target audience

• Clinicians involved in the management of osteoporosis
• Physiotherapists/physical therapists involved in the care of osteoporotic patients
• Other healthcare professionals including nurses involved in the care of osteoporotic and fracture patients
• Scientists and epidemiologists interested in falls and fracture epidemiology and prevention
• Health economists
• Both primary and secondary health care professionals

Teaching methods

• Flip chart
• Interactive discussion with substantial audience involvement
• Handout