Emergency Medical Services as a Partner in Fall Prevention—Breaking the Fall - Summary - MDSpire
Coming Soon: Introducing MDSpire News. Learn more
Conexiant’s news site is now MDSpire News. Learn more

Collaborative Role of Emergency Medical Services in Preventing Falls Among Older Adults

  • By

  • Ari B. Friedman

  • Carmen E. Quatman

  • Elizabeth M. Goldberg

  • September 9, 2026

Share

Objective:

To explore the potential of emergency medical services (EMS) encounters as opportunities for fall prevention among older adults.

Approach:
  • Study Design: Retrospective analysis examining EMS encounters prior to ground-level falls (GLFs) resulting in injury limiting activities of daily living (IL-ADL).
  • Data Analysis: Identified older adults with ambulance-transported ED visits for GLFs and analyzed their EMS contacts in the preceding year.
Key Findings:
  • 1 in 3 older adults with GLFs had at least 1 EMS contact in the previous year.
  • 1 in 10 GLFs followed 3 or more EMS visits in that year.
  • Higher number of EMS visits correlated with increased use of medications listed in the AGS Beers Criteria.
Limitations:
  • Excludes patients who self-presented to EDs or other outpatient settings, potentially skewing the sample.
  • Data limitations due to fragmented EMS records and lack of crossover to hospital encounters.
  • Uncertainty whether EMS use reflects worsening health or is a consequence of underlying factors.
Sources:

Original Source(s)

Emergency Medical Services as a Partner in Fall Prevention—Breaking the Fall

  • by Ari B. Friedman, Carmen E. Quatman, Elizabeth M. Goldberg

  • September 9, 2026

Related Content

Nasal obstruction may worsen OSA indicators

Increases in apnea-hypopnea events were greatest among patients with an elevated baseline index, while evidence supporting mouth taping remained preliminary.

Seminal fibrils may facilitate mpox infection

Seminal fluid increased mpox virus infection across primary cells and viral isolates, with semen-derived amyloid fibrils promoting viral attachment and uptake.

CKM staging faces an early vascular test

Investigators examined Life’s Essential 8 scores and carotid ultrasonography measures across cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic stages in 1,283 young adults.