Fall prevention through a systems approach: SEIPS, AcciMap and HTA findings from patient safety specialists

Abstract

In 2022, two reviews were published in Age & Ageing to summarise and discuss falls prevention interventions. One was a narrative review looking at the past, present and future of falls interventions. The second was a systematic review and meta-analysis of research on adult falls in hospital. This commentary discusses the findings and recommendations of these publications in the context of real world practice using the Hierarchy of Controls framework and case studies from 180 Patient Safety Specialists applying three systems tools and approaches; Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety, Hierarchical Task Analysis and AcciMaps. The reflection on research (published reviews) and practice (case studies) offers an insight for interventions in practice, rather than research. We hope that future researchers and funders in falls prevention will embrace safety science tools/approaches when planning and reviewing project proposals.