Page 33 - Preventing Falls: How to Develop Community-based Fall Prevention Programs for Older Adults

IMPLEMENTING YOur FALL PrEvENTION PrOGrAM
Assuring program quality
If you implement an evidence-based
program and include a strong process
for monitoring fidelity as well as a quality
assurance system, you can expect to
see outcomes similar to those in the
original research.
Developing a quality assurance (QA) plan
is very important. QA is an ongoing system
for describing, measuring, and evaluating
program delivery to ensure that participants
receive effective, quality services and that
the program goals are met.
Having a QA plan provides credibility
with funders and other stakeholders and
helps build the case that your fall prevention
program is worthwhile and deserves support.
The ideal QA plan addresses:
1) program fidelity and
2) continuous quality improvement.
Program fidelity
When implementing an evidence-based
fall prevention program, it is essential to
implement the program with fidelity. That is,
the program must retain the key elements
that made the intervention effective. Fidelity
describes the extent to which a program is
delivered consistently by all personnel across
sites, and delivered according to program
developers’ intended design and protocols.
Maintaining fidelity is essential to ensure that
the program provides the intended benefits
to your participants.
While each program has some essential
elements that cannot be changed without
reducing its effectiveness, some nonessential
elements may be tailored or adapted to better
serve specific audiences. It is important that
implementers understand the importance
of maintaining program fidelity and which
elements may be modified without sacrificing
program effectiveness.
Three evidence-based programs, Stepping
On, Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance, and
the Otago Exercise Program include fidelity
monitoring tools and checklists. It is critical
that an ongoing process for monitoring
fidelity be put into place; any departures
should be corrected as quickly as possible.
• Information about Tai Chi: Moving for
Better Balance can be found at,
public.health.oregon.gov/
PreventionWellness/SafeLiving/
FallPrevention/Pages/TaiChi.aspx
• Information about Stepping On and Otago
can be found in the CDC Compendium at,
www.cdc.gov/STEADI/compendium.html
and at www.wihealthyaging.org/stepping-on
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