Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38109410›Full record

SynthesisAge and ageing2023

Exercise for falls prevention in aged care: systematic review and trial endpoint meta-analyses.

Suzanne M Dyer, Jenni Suen, Wing S Kwok, Rik Dawson, Charlotte McLennan, Ian D Cameron, Keith D Hill, Catherine Sherrington

Open access · hybridAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Age and ageing, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
24.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 34 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Guideline
  2. Interventions for preventing falls in older people in care facilities.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Suzanne M DyerRehabilitation, Aged and Extended Care, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2748-8547
Jenni SuenRehabilitation, Aged and Extended Care, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5745-3962
Wing S KwokInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-6806-3011
Rik DawsonInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia.
Charlotte McLennanInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia.
Ian D CameronJohn Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, Northern Sydney Local Health District, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia.
Keith D HillRehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Peninsula Campus, Monash University, Frankston, Australia.
Catherine SherringtonInstitute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Musculoskeletal Health, The University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia.
The University of Sydney · AUFlinders University · AUMonash University · AU

Funding

Australian National Health and Medical Research CouncilCentre of Research Excellence for Prevention of Falls Injuries
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is strong evidence that exercise reduces falls in older people living in the community, but its effectiveness in residential aged care is less clear. This systematic review examines the effectiveness of exercise for falls prevention in residential aged care, meta-analysing outcomes measured immediately after exercise or after post-intervention follow-up.

methodsSystematic review and meta-analysis, including randomised controlled trials from a Cochrane review and additional trials, published to December 2022. Trials of exercise as a single intervention compared to usual care, reporting data suitable for meta-analysis of rate or risk of falls, were included. Meta-analyses were conducted according to Cochrane Collaboration methods and quality of evidence rated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.

results12 trials from the Cochrane review plus 7 new trials were included. At the end of the intervention period, exercise probably reduces the number of falls (13 trials, rate ratio [RaR] = 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.49-0.95), but after post-intervention follow-up exercise had little or no effect (8 trials, RaR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.80-1.28). The effect on the risk of falling was similar (end of intervention risk ratio (RR) = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.72-0.98, 12 trials; post-intervention follow-up RR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.92-1.20, 8 trials). There were no significant subgroup differences according to cognitive impairment.

conclusionsExercise is recommended as a fall prevention strategy for older people living in aged care who are willing and able to participate (moderate certainty evidence), but exercise has little or no lasting effect on falls after the end of a programme (high certainty evidence).

Indexed as

Accidental FallsExerciseAgedHumansagedexercisefallsmeta-analysisnursing homesolder peoplesystematic review

Identifiers

PMID38109410
PMCPMC10727475
OpenAlexW4389958298

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.