An economic evaluation of community and residential aged care falls prevention strategies in NSW
Jody Church A B , Stephen Goodall A , Richard Norman A and Marion Haas A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation, University of Technology, Sydney
B Corresponding author. Email: jody.church@chere.uts.edu.au
NSW Public Health Bulletin 22(4) 60-68 https://doi.org/10.1071/NB10051
Published: 2 June 2011
Abstract
Aim: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of strategies designed to prevent falls amongst people aged 65 years and over living in the community and in residential aged-care facilities. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature was conducted. The pooled fall rate ratio was used in a decision analytic model that combined a Markov model and decision tree to estimate the costs and outcomes of potential interventions and/or strategies. The resulting cost per quality-adjusted life year was estimated. Results: The most cost-effective falls prevention strategy in community-dwelling older people was Tai Chi. Expedited cataract surgery and psychotropic medication withdrawal were also found to be cost-effective; however, the effectiveness of these interventions is less certain due to small numbers of trials and participants. The most cost-effective falls prevention strategies in residential aged-care facilities were medication review and vitamin D supplementation.
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