Breaking Barriers to Falls Prevention: A Growing National Need

Falls prevention programmes for older Singaporean adults is a rapidly growing need due to the nation’s increasing ageing population. However, there exist barriers to implementing prevention programmes in the community.

Using the Group Model Building (GMB) methodology, Prof. David B. Matchar and Prof Angelique Wei-Ming Chan from FHT, and their co-authors sought to discuss the enablers and challenges to implementing prevention programmes with healthcare professionals.

The study led the team to derive a Causal Loop Diagram (CLD), a qualitative conceptual model which resulted in the identification of the dynamic relationship between the barriers and facilitators of implementing the falls prevention programmes. The resulting factors showed implementation was influenced by two main drivers: several healthcare provider factors that influenced referrals; and several patient factors that influenced referral acceptance and long-term adherence.

The GMB exercise generated three key insights: the performance of fall prevention programs can promote greater investments and resources to run programs; more participation in programs can gradually shift mindsets towards fall prevention programs; and good group dynamics can promote adherence to fall prevention programs. However, overcapacity of participants in any of the three insights would bring about its own set of negative factors as well.

These findings illuminated the complexities involved in implementation barriers to falls prevention. This has the potential to serve as a valuable reference for developing an inclusive national strategy that can be tailored to the different community segments in Singapore.