APhA, CDC team on fall risk training for pharmacists

WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Pharmacists Association have developed an online training tool on older adult fall prevention. 

Called STEADI: The Pharmacist’s Role in Older Adult Fall Prevention, the free online training — based on the CDC’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries initiative and accredited by the ACPE — was launched March 24 at the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Francisco.

One of the most significant — yet modifiable — risk factors for falls in older adults is medication use. As a result, pharmacists play a pivotal role in helping older Americans avoid falls.

“Pharmacists have been asking for tools to help make an impact on this growing public health challenge, so we developed the STEADI training specifically for them,” said Grant Baldwin, PhD, MPH, director, Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC. “The training emphasizes that pharmacists are uniquely positioned to work with both patients and prescribers to identify risk factors and perform appropriate fall prevention interventions.”

After completing the training, pharmacists will be able to describe the burden of falls among older adults; identify health conditions and types of medications that increase fall risk; implement fall screening, assess risk factors, and offer prevention strategies; and discuss strategies to improve patient care coordination for fall prevention

“APhA is proud to partner with the CDC to bring the STEADI training to pharmacists across America,” said APhA COO, Elizabeth K. Keyes, BSPharm. “Pharmacists are medication experts who serve as essential healthcare providers for older adults who could be at risk of falling. This training highlights how pharmacists can help prevent medication-related falls, identify and mitigate fall risk, and serve as a public health solution through the patient care services they routinely provide.”

For more information on STEADI: The Pharmacist’s Role in Older Adult Fall Prevention, click here.