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4025 Fall Risk Screening and Referrals to Community-Based Programs among Physical Therapy Professionals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 July 2020

Jennifer L. Vincenzo ,
Tiffany Shubert ,
Jennifer S. Brach ,
Jennifer Tripken ,
Lori Schrodt ,
Jennifer C. Sidelinker ,
Patrice Hazan ,
Colleen Hergott ,
Kathleen Shirley  and
Beth Rhorer
Jennifer L. Vincenzo
Affiliation:
University of Arkansas Translational Research Institute
Tiffany Shubert
Affiliation:
Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy
Jennifer S. Brach
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Jennifer Tripken
Affiliation:
National Council on Aging
Lori Schrodt
Affiliation:
Western Carolina University
Jennifer C. Sidelinker
Affiliation:
Genesis Healthcare
Patrice Hazan
Affiliation:
GroupHab Physical Therapy
Colleen Hergott
Affiliation:
Augusta University
Kathleen Shirley
Affiliation:
Texas Women’s Univeristy
Beth Rhorer
Affiliation:
Centreville Physical Therapy
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Abstract

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OBJECTIVES/GOALS:

  • To describe trends in fall risk screening and referrals to community-based programs among physical therapy professionals.

  • To compare fall risk screening practices to clinical practice guidelines among

  • To identify gaps in fall risk screening and referrals to community-based programs among physical therapy professionals.

METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A panel of experts between the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) - Geriatrics, and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) developed a web-based survey to identify practices among physical therapy professionals (PTs) for fall risk screenings and community-based referrals for older adults. The web-based survey was disseminated to PTs via email, e-blasts, and social media. The survey focused on questions related to knowledge of fall risk screening tools, fall risk management for older adults, and knowledge of and referrals to community-based interventions. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: To date, 453 PTs representing 50 states completed the survey. The majority of PTs (50.9%) had over 20 years of experience in various settings. Eighty-three percent regularly screen older adults for fall risk. Approximately 40% conduct community-based screenings. The majority (81.3%) were somewhat to very familiar with the CDC-recommended STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries) screening toolkit. Despite familiarity, only 32% responded to the question if they used STEADI for screening. Of those, 83.4% used the tool. The majority (73.4%) of PTs were aware that NCOA recommends evidence-based programs to address health needs of aging adults and 59.6% refer. PTs did not refer due to lack of knowledge that programs existed (21.3%) or lack of knowledge of availability (33.3%). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Although PTs are have some familiarity with the STEADI for fall risk screening, the tool is not common in practice. PTs are lacking awareness of local evidence-based community programs to address health needs of aging adults. Educational efforts should target these knowledge gaps and provide additional resources to improve referrals.

Type
Translational Science, Policy, & Health Outcomes Science
Information
Journal of Clinical and Translational Science , Volume 4 , Issue s1 , June 2020 , pp. 132
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Association for Clinical and Translational Science 2020