Time to Up our Game (TUG) in the management of falls!

Debra Eagles is a Resident in Emergency Medicine at The Ottawa Hospital in Canada. Here she discusses her recent Age & Ageing paper.

Your medical student reviews a case with you.  It is a 78 year old woman who presents with right knee pain subsequent to a recent fall.  The student has taken a comprehensive falls history and physical examination.  After reviewing the knee x-ray, the student summarizes the case by stating the patient suffered a mechanical fall, luckily without evidence of fracture and can be discharged home.  But wait, you say, can she safely mobilize?  The medical student smiles triumphantly, yes, she was able to use her walker to ambulate a short distance.  Excellent, you say, she can be discharged home.  But you wonder, is there anything further you can do to determine what her risk of negative outcomes associated with falling is.