Fall prevention

A comprehensive MOOC to prevent serious falls in the elderly

28 Apr 2021

An online training course has been developed by the Agence Régionale de Santé Île-de-France. This programme, consisting of 25 modules, is aimed at health professionals, carers and the elderly.

What are the risk factors for falls? Why is osteoporosis under-diagnosed? How can we reduce the risk of bleeding in the event of a fall and serious injury?

These are some of the questions addressed in this MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) carried out as part of the "Pare à chute" campaign which took place in Ile-de-France from February 2016 to April 2017.

The ARS aimed to improve care practices and reduce serious falls. The objective of the MOOC is to perpetuate the approach initiated with the "Fall Protection" campaign and to raise awareness of the avoidable part of falls in the elderly and the associated injuries.

25 Fall Prevention Training videos

This MOOC includes risk assessment grids, testimonials and materials for conducting a falls prevention project.

25 totally free modules, each with a subtitled video, accompanied by the transcription of the text (for 24 of them), useful links, documents or tools.

See the videos on the YouTube channel of the ARS Ile-de-France

Practical tools for falls prevention

To complement the video modules of this MOOC, several tools and resources are provided to assess the risk of falls in older people.

A fall risk assessment grid

RSA falls risk assessment grid

A reference tool for the assessment and prevention of the risk of falls in an autonomous elderly person

Read this opinion of the French High Authority for Health

Learning about falls globally, but also specificallyLearning about falls globally, but also specifically

The fall prevention training modules in this MOOC not only address this issue in its entirety, but also offer several more specific avenues for reflection.

Multidisciplinary aspects of falls

Beyond the carers, the problem is transversal: the last module is based on the testimony of a user representative who underlines, with examples, that it is necessary to include the person him/herself in the reasoning of good practices for the prevention of falls.

Professor François Puisieux, hospital practitioner at the Lille University Hospital:

"We must take an interest in falls, not only because they are serious events, but also because we can act. And all health professionals must be convinced of this.

Whether you are a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a nurse, a doctor, a surgeon, a quality manager or a director, the problem of falls concerns all profiles.

A test on the myths and realities about restraint

The use of chemical or physical restraint may be necessary, but it is also subject to a number of misconceptions.

A playful tool proposes to demystify this through a card game on the myths and realities surrounding restraint in the elderly.

Test this interactive tool

A focus on vitamin D prescription

As part of the 'Fall Protection' campaign, it was felt important to respond to the demand from prescribers for assistance in optimising the appropriateness of their prescription for vitamin D testing.

Go to the tutorial on Vitamin D dosage