INTERVENTIONS TO PREVENT FALLS IN COMMUNITY DWELLING OLDER ADULTS
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) on June 4, 2024 released a final recommendation statement on interventions to prevent falls in community-dwelling older adults. The Task Force recommends exercise interventions to prevent falls in community-dwelling adults 65 years or older at increased risk for falls. The USPSTF recommends that clinicians individualize the decision to offer multifactorial interventions to prevent falls to community-dwelling adults 65 years or older who are at increased risk for falls. Existing evidence indicates that the overall net benefit of routinely offering multifactorial interventions to prevent falls is small. When determining whether this service is appropriate for an individual, patients and clinicians should consider the balance of benefits and harms based on the circumstances of prior falls, presence of comorbid medical conditions, and the patient's values and preferences. Additional interventions might be helpful for some older adults. The recommendation, the evidence on which it is based, and a summary for clinicians can be viewed here.
SERIOUS ILLNESS CARE RESEARCH
To explore the current and future state of serious illness care research, the National Academies Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness hosted a public workshop in November 2023. Speakers identified research gaps and challenges, and explored strategies and opportunities to further develop the evidence base to improve care for all those living with serious illness, their families, and care partners. Proceedings of the Workshop summarizes the presentations and discussions that occurred at this event and can be obtained here.
IMPROVING ASIAN AMERICAN HEALTH OUTCOMES
According to the U.S. Census Bureau report, Asian Americans account for 7% of the U.S. population, totaling over 24 million individuals. Between 2000 and 2023, Asian Americans were the fastest growing minority group and by 2060, they are projected to make up 9% of the U.S. population, accounting for around 39 million inhabitants of this nation. Despite this increase, health challenges faced by Asian Americans largely are unrecognized. A question-and-answer session occurred on May 24, 2024 to discuss the health challenges that this demographic group faces and what hospitals can do to reduce disparities affecting them. It can be obtained here.
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: HEALTH WORKFORCE AND PROVIDER TRAINING
An estimated 13% of the U.S. population reported having a disability in 2021, according to the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau data. People with disabilities are less likely to be employed, and may be underrepresented in certain health care occupations compared to those without disabilities. People with disabilities comprised an estimated 8% of those employed in health care support, such as home health aides, and an estimated 4% of health care practitioners and technicians. A GAO report released on May 30, 2024 shows that most health care providers would benefit from more training on meeting the needs of people with disabilities even though such training is not widely required. It is available here.