Trial reportBMC geriatrics2017
Podiatry intervention versus usual care to prevent falls in care homes: pilot randomised controlled trial (the PIRFECT study).
Trial report in BMC geriatrics, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02178527 (A Podiatry Intervention to Reduce Falls in Care Home Residents), which is not on this map. Cited by 10 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Podiatry Intervention to Reduce Falls in Care Home Residents: Development, Feasibility and Acceptability Study With Exploratory Randomised Controlled Trial
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Interventions for preventing falls in older people in care facilities.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Podiatry interventions to prevent falls in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Age and ageing · 2019Pooled it
- Interventions for preventing falls in older people in care facilities and hospitals.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Trial
- Identifying barriers and facilitators to the inclusion of older adults living in UK care homes in research: a scoping review.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Australian podiatrists' understanding and current practices of reablement for older people: a qualitative exploratory study.Journal of foot and ankle research · 2022Article
- Article
- Evaluation of the development process and effects of a foot care program with educational tools for nurses and care workers as in-home service providers.BMC research notes · 2020Article
- The Footfall Programme: participant experiences of a lower limb, foot and ankle exercise intervention for falls prevention - an exploratory study.Journal of frailty, sarcopenia and falls · 2019Article
- Systematic scoping review of frameworks used to develop rehabilitation interventions for older adults.BMJ open · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCommon foot problems are independent risk factors for falls in older people. There is evidence that podiatry can prevent falls in community-dwelling populations. The feasibility of implementing a podiatry intervention and trial in the care home population is unknown. To inform a potential future definitive trial, we performed a pilot randomised controlled trial to assess: (i) the feasibility of a trial of a podiatry intervention to reduce care home falls, and (ii) the potential direction and magnitude of the effect of the intervention in terms of number of falls in care home residents.
methodsInformed by Medical Research Council guidance on developing and evaluating complex interventions, we conducted a single blind, pilot randomised controlled trial in six care homes in the East of Scotland. Participants were randomised to either: (i) a three month podiatry intervention comprising core podiatry care, foot and ankle exercises, orthoses and footwear provision or (ii) usual care. Falls-related outcomes (number of falls, time to first fall) and feasibility-related outcomes (recruitment, retention, adherence, data collection rates) were collected. Secondary outcomes included: generic health status, balance, mobility, falls efficacy, and ankle joint strength.
results474 care home residents were screened. 43 (9.1%) participants were recruited: 23 to the intervention, 20 to control. Nine (21%) participants were lost to follow-up due to declining health or death. It was feasible to deliver the trial elements in the care home setting. 35% of participants completed the exercise programme. 48% reported using the orthoses 'all or most of the time'. Completion rates of the outcome measures were between 93% and 100%. No adverse events were reported. At the nine month follow-up period, the intervention group per-person fall rate was 0.77 falls vs. 0.83 falls in the control group.
conclusionsA podiatry intervention to reduce falls can be delivered to care home residents within a pilot randomised controlled trial of the intervention. Although not powered to determine effectiveness, these preliminary data provide justification for a larger trial, incorporating a full process evaluation, to determine whether this intervention can significantly reduce falls in this high-risk population.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02178527 ; Date of registration: 17 June 2014.
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Registered trials
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