Globally, falls are a major public health problem. Organizations worldwide are developing programs and guidelines to address falls, including the Prevention of Falls Network Europe (ProFaNE), and the American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) in the United States. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports an estimated 424,000 fatal falls occur yearly. Another 37.3 million falls per year are severe enough to require medical attention. The largest morbidity occurs in young adults, children, and people aged 65 and older. Older adults are at major risk for resulting long term care or institutionalization. In the US, by 2030 approximately three million people over the age of 65 will be living in nursing homes. Between 50-75% of nursing home residents fall each year, causing significant morbidity/mortality. A local long term care facility (LLTCF) is a 78 bed long term care facility (LTCF) that has been under scrutiny by the State of Michigan, with a one star Medicare Quality rating based, in part, on the number of resident falls. The goal was to facilitate provider behavior change to include implementation of the vitamin D screening component of the Fall and Fall Risk Clinical Practice Guideline of the AMDA.
