Everyone knows that if you are at risk of falls your doctor should review your medications. Question is, does medication review along have an effect on reducing falls?
A new large study examined over ten thousand patients who underwent medication review based on the state of the art Centers of Disease Control (CDC) recommendations and concluded “Risk of falling did not change between the pre- to postintervention period or differ between groups“ (J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020 Apr 21) .
Does this mean medications have zero effect on risk of falls?
At Steady Strides Fall Prevention and Stroke Rehabilitation Medical Institute here in Baltimore we believe in taking a comprehensive approach to patient care, starting with human gait biomechanics and expanding on to vestibular exam, neurological exam, cardiovascular exam and of course the medication review. Every patient is unique and most patients are affected by a combination of factors, which is why medication review alone is unlikely to show a statistically significant effect on fall reduction, even in large well powered studies. If you want to learn more about Dr. Atanelov’s revolutionary patient-centered approach to preventing falls in older adults you can visit www.steadystridesmd.com or call 443-898-8160 to learn more.