Pre Conference Workshops

Presenters:

Professor Anne-Marie Hill, The University of Western Australia, Perth
Professor Meg Morris, La Trobe University, Melbourne
Ms Charlotte McLennan, NSW Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney

Workshop Objectives

1. Present latest evidence for hospital fall prevention and management, including recent trials providing evidence for disinvesting from ineffective strategies and trials implementing new approaches, as well as health workforce redesign to reduce hospital falls and related injuries.
2. Analysis of patient behaviour and strategies for providing capability, motivation and opportunity for patients to engage in safe mobility.
3. Discuss patient, staff and hospital barriers and enablers for implementing evidence based approaches and de-implementing ineffective strategies.
4. Build networks and share knowledge with teams around Australia who are striving to reduce inpatient falls and injuries and improve care for older patients.

Target Audience

All hospital clinicians, researchers and hospital quality and safety managers.

Content and Activities

This workshop will summarise recent cutting edge evidence for falls prevention in hospital settings, including the latest hospital falls systematic and Cochrane reviews. Evidence for effective strategies will be compared and contrasted with evidence for reducing use of strategies found to be ineffective. Topics will include patient-centred education, providing a focus on safe care, especially for people with frailty, cognitive impairment and decreased mobility.

Discussion and feedback through group collaboration will be undertaken, with interactive learning approaches and case studies. Using the COM-Behavioural model, we will map strategies to patient and staff barriers and enablers to implementing effective evidence-based care. We will explore the methodology of two major ongoing falls prevention trials that are seeking to reduce falls taking a patient /staff education approach. This will include exploring embedding falls evidence within comprehensive care standards.

Participants will engage in round table discussions led by experienced falls experts to understand how to implement policies, procedures, staff training and patient education into routine clinical practice to reduce hospital falls and fall related injury, based on the World Guidelines for preventing falls in older people.

Presenters:

Professor Cathie Sherrington, University of Sydney, Sydney
Professor Anne Tiedemann, University of Sydney, Sydney
Associate Professor Leanne Hassett, University of Sydney, Sydney
Dr Abby Haynes, University of Sydney, Sydney

Workshop aims and objectives

Aims: To equip participants with the skills to undertake or interpret the design and evaluation of complex interventions to prevent falls and/or improve mobility.

Objectives: To facilitate participant understanding of current best practice in

a) Co-design of complex interventions
b) Methods to evaluate complex interventions
c) Assessment of effectiveness outcomes
d) Assessment of implementation outcomes and determinants

Target audience

Researchers, clinicians, policy makers

Description of workshop content and activities

Preventing falls in usual care at scale is complex in community, hospital and aged care settings. Fall prevention research could be advanced by more deliberate consideration of international guidance for the development and evaluation of complex interventions such as that produced by the UK’s Medical Research Council (MRC) (BMJ, 2021). The MRC guidance notes that “an intervention might be considered complex because of properties of the intervention itself, such as the number of components involved; the range of behaviours targeted; expertise and skills required by those delivering and receiving the intervention; the number of groups, settings, or levels targeted; or the permitted level of flexibility of the intervention or its components.” This clearly applies to fall prevention.

This workshop will involve

a) presentations outlining principles and giving real-world examples from recent projects undertaken by the presenters involving the design and evaluation of complex interventions to prevent falls and promote physical activity, and
b) practical activities that enable the participants to work through plans for real or hypothetical projects designing and/or evaluating complex interventions.

Presenters:

Dr Marina de Barros Pinheiro, Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District; School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney
Dr Rakhee Raghunandan, Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data; School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney
Dr Zoe Szewczyk, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney
Ms Belinda Wang, Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District; School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney

Workshop objectives

The aim of this introductory workshop is to equip attendees with foundational skills in economic evaluation of fall prevention interventions. Our workshop will provide a brief introduction to health economics and practical guidance on planning, conducting, and interpreting economic evaluations. It introduces health economic evaluation as a tool for clinicians and researchers aiming to translate evidence into practice and advocate for investment in fall prevention interventions. The session will be pitched in an accessible and easy-to-follow way, ensuring that participants with limited or no background in health economics can engage comfortably.

Target audience

This workshop is ideal for researchers, policymakers, and clinicians looking to gain an introductory understanding of economic evaluation and its role in fall prevention research and practice. No prior experience is required.

Description of workshop content and activities

1. Introduction to economic evaluation
   The presenters will provide a brief introduction to health economic evaluation, it’s role in decision making and how to include economic evaluation in fall prevention research.
2. Identifying, measuring and valuing costs and outcomes
   Using case studies of fall prevention interventions, we will cover the essentials of designing an economic evaluation, including identifying, measuring, and valuing health outcomes and costs. Participants will then work in small groups to identify outcomes and costing data for their projects (if they are working on one) or provided examples.
3. Reporting and interpreting economic evaluation results
   Participants will review abstracts from published economic evaluations and discuss their interpretation, focusing on incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, intervention costs, uncertainty measures, and the impact of selected health outcomes on the interpretation of findings. We will provide insights into reporting economic results in clear and actionable ways, enhancing relevance to policymakers and practitioners.
4. Group discussion

Participants will be encouraged to ask questions and share their experiences in conducting economic evaluations of fall prevention interventions.

Presenter:

Ms Sally Castell, Movement Matters, Sydney

Workshop aims:

Building and expanding community exercise involvement. The “hands on” practical falls prevention exercise workshop will enable participants explore the enormous exercise variety that is possible at the many levels needed and can be included in a program to maximize exercise effectiveness and sustain falls prevention programs.

Workshop Objectives:

By the end of the session participants will acquire

• A bank of appropriate graded exercises related to reducing falls risk
• The underlying knowledge and skills concerning ways to provide variety and upgrade options, using appropriate recreational ideas and equipment

This workshop will provide further insight and practical applications concerning a variety of ideas that can be implemented in falls prevention exercise programs to keep participants active and safe. This will enable participants to maintain and sustain interest by being stimulated and challenged. It will consist of 2 parts

“Changing Bases”– focusing on changes in gait patterns and associated bases of support that affect balance and increases falls risk
“Actions & Reactions” – focusing on the changes in mental capacities and the impact on response/reaction time

Practical application

Ideas and examples relating to specific components of falls prevention and exercise at different grades for different settings

• Foundations – individual, pair and group work, grading etc.
• Variety – using equipment; recreation; settings; types of activities; music
• Routines and progressions

Target audience

Health and fitness professionals who undertake falls prevention exercise programs