Altarum Seeks Pharmacists’ Views on Falls Prevention to Develop CDC Training

ANN ARBOR, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Every year, one in three older adults will fall and more than two
million will be treated in emergency departments for fall-related
injuries. Falls have significant repercussions for older adults; they
are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among people ages
65 and older. To address this issue, Altarum Institute researchers will
hold a series of focus groups with pharmacists to discuss the role of
medication management in preventing falls among older adults.

Falls frequently result in loss of independence among older adults and
are an expensive problem, with the direct medical costs for fall
injuries being an estimated $34 billion each year. Falls regularly lead
to debilitating, often life-altering injuries, including hip fractures
and head injuries. These injuries can result in physical and emotional
distress, immobility, and placement in nursing homes—an even greater
expense for older adults and their families.

In an effort to help pharmacists reduce falls among their patients, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of the STEADI
initiative, is creating a new learning opportunity for pharmacists.
Altarum will support the CDC by obtaining pharmacists’ perspectives on
this issue in focus groups throughout the month of July in Atlanta,
Georgia; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Washington, DC; and San Diego, California.
The CDC will use data from these focus groups to develop continuing
education unit-accredited online training materials aimed at reducing
falls. The new training module will mark an important step toward
providing pharmacists with the tools they need to help prevent falls and
ultimately improving the health and quality of life of older adults in
the U.S.

If you are a practicing pharmacist with older adult patients and you are
able to attend any of the focus groups listed below, please RSVP by
email to steadi@altarum.org. If
you cannot attend but know other practicing pharmacists who might be
able to, please forward this information. Altarum and the CDC are
particularly interested in the views of community pharmacists,
health-systems pharmacists, and pharmacists practicing in managed care
settings.

Practicing pharmacists, please join us at one of our focus groups:

Atlanta, Georgia: July 14
Ann Arbor, Michigan: July 21
Washington,
DC: July 26
San Diego, California: July 28

Altarum Institute (www.altarum.org)
integrates objective research and client-centered consulting skills to
deliver comprehensive, systems-based solutions that improve health and
health care. Altarum employs almost 400 individuals and is headquartered
in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with additional offices in the Washington, D.C.,
area; Portland, Maine; and San Antonio, Texas.

Contacts

Altarum Institute
Ken Schwartz, 202-772-5062
ken.schwartz@altarum.org