Interpretation of the 2022 World Guidelines for Falls Prevention and Management for Older Adults: a Global Initiative

Abstract

As China enters a deep aging society, falls and fall-related injuries in older adults have gained increased attention, with increasing emergence of relevant studies, and continuous updates in relevant guidelines. In 2022, The World Falls Task Force assembled 96 experts from 39 countries to develop the World Guidelines for Falls Prevention and Management for Older Adults: a Global Initiative. The guidelines were developed using the person-centered methodology and the latest evidence on e-health for the prevention of falls, with full consideration of the needs of fall management of older adults, and their caregivers and other stakeholders' perspectives on preventing falls in older adults, as well as the guideline applicability in various care settings and locations with limited resources, which provide new clinical recommendations on the screening, assessment, and management of risk for falls among community-dwelling older adults. This paper offers an in-depth interpretation of the guidelines and an analysis of the effective practical guidance in the guidelines, providing practical guidance for Chinese physicians, nurses and community health workers to prevent and manage falls in older adults.

Keywords

• falls|aged|injury|prevention|management|guidelines|interpretation