Experts call for stronger inter-professional collaboration in preventing falls in older adults
At the European Falls prevention Festival (EUFF), held in Bologna, 23-24 February 2016, EuroSafe organised a Workshop with European organisations of professionals in health and social care on strategies to promote healthy ageing through falls prevention. Last year, these organisations joined the EuroSafe initiative to create a European Stakeholders Alliance for Active Ageing through Falls Prevention (ESA on Falls) with a view to disseminate evidence based falls prevention across Europe.
Representatives of these organisations gave a brief overview of actions initiated to raise awareness among their members as to the growing importance of the issue and evidence based intervention and screening of high risk older persons.
Special attention was raised in the workshop for the issue of ‘inter-professional understanding and collaboration’. While we are facing an ageing population with increasing complexity of health needs and involvement of a wide variety of health and social care providers, current health care delivery is still most fragmented and professionals poorly understand practice conditions of colleagues in related health and care services. These include geriatricians, orthopedic surgeons, general physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, podiatrists, dieticians, psychologists, orthoptists, paramedics and radiographers. Current training strategies and divergent evolutions of the training programs seem to perpetuate the problem.
However, inter-professional training can significantly contribute to a better appreciation of roles and responsibilities of divers health professionals, the promotion of effective communication, relationship, teamwork and joint problem solving.
It was advised that academic teaching hospitals should lead the way in inter-professional training if they are to train the physicians/nurses of tomorrow.
All ESA-members present confirmed their commitment to continue to implement the activities envisaged for this and next year, with a special focus on customised communications towards the diverse audiences and target groups; encouraging exchange of good practices across Europe; developing harmonised guidelines; and promote inter-professional collaboration.
EuroSafe and the ProFouND team will continue its web site, the organisation of annual Falls Awareness Campaigns (in October) and continuation of the series of EUFF events (with intervals of around eighteen months in between events). The next event is foreseen to be held in the Netherlands, autumn 2017.
EuroSafe will continue to facilitate the exchange and communications among ESA-on–Falls members over the course of the next three years. EuroSafe will also produce regular E-updates on the work of ESA-members and topics relevant to falls prevention
More information: w.rogmans@eurosafe.eu.com