Despite extensive fall prevention efforts, few programs explicitly address fall preparedness, including safe landing and recovery strategies, which may influence fear of falling in older adults. The purpose of this study was to establish expert consensus among geriatric physical therapy clinicians on essential components of a fall preparedness and recovery program for community-dwelling older adults. A three-round e-Delphi survey was conducted with licensed physical therapists possessing geriatric clinical expertise (demonstrated by > 5 years of clinical practice and advanced training or certifications). Participants were recruited through a national geriatric physical therapy professional listserv and in-person outreach at professional conferences. In Round 1, experts provided demographic and practice-related information and proposed components for inclusion in a fall preparedness program. Qualitative analysis of Round 1 responses yielded three overarching themes and ten sub-themes. In Rounds 2 and 3, participants rated the importance of proposed items and re-rated them to refine and confirm consensus. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and item stability across rounds was assessed. Sixty-five clinicians completed all three Delphi rounds. Participants represented a range of clinical settings and levels of experience in geriatric physical therapy. Consensus was achieved on 43 of 46 proposed items, which clustered within three primary themes: Education, Floor Transfers, and Fall Landing Strategies. This study establishes expert consensus on key components of a fall preparedness and recovery framework for older adults. These findings provide a consensus-based foundation to inform the development of educational and clinical programs that may complement traditional fall prevention approaches by incorporating proactive preparation for fall events and post-fall recovery. Further research is needed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of programs based on this framework.
Dudash et al. (Sat,) studied this question.