Health professional student education related to the prevention of falls in older people: A survey of universities in Australia and New Zealand

Abstract

To determine the amount and nature of health professional education related to fall prevention for older adults in Australian and New Zealand universities.Universities offering medicine, nursing and allied health courses were invited to complete an online survey enquiring about fall prevention course-related information: topics; delivery mode; and time dedicated.One hundred and five respondents, 11 disciplines and 43 universities completed the survey. Courses were primarily undergraduate level (90%) and delivered face-to-face (93%). Time dedicated to fall prevention was usually one to three hours of lectures (>65% of courses) and 1-3+ hours of tutorials/practical sessions (>80% of courses).Survey results indicate that education of health professionals across a range of disciplines in Australia and New Zealand does include older adult fall prevention. Education of all health and exercise professionals about falls is vital given their critical role in the prevention and management of falls in our rapidly ageing population.