Implementation fidelity of a nurse-led falls prevention program in acute hospitals during the 6-PACK trial.

Background: When tested in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 31,411 patients, the nurse-led 6-PACK falls prevention program did not reduce falls. Poor implementation fidelity (i.e.

Barriers and enablers to the implementation of the 6-PACK falls prevention program: A pre-implementation study in hospitals participating in a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Evidence for effective falls prevention interventions in acute wards is limited. One reason for this may be suboptimal program implementation. This study aimed to identify perceived barriers and enablers of the implementation of the 6-PACK falls prevention program to inform the implementation in a randomised controlled trial.

Development of an implementation plan for the 6-PACK falls prevention programme as part of a randomised controlled trial: protocol for a series of preimplementation studies.

Background: Inhospital falls cause morbidity, staff burden and increased healthcare costs. It is unclear if the persistent problem of inhospital falls is due to the use of ineffective interventions or their suboptimal implementation. The 6-PACK programme appears to reduce fall injuries and a randomised controlled trial (RCT) was undertaken to confirm effects.

Fitness to drive forms - a guide for GPs.

The effect of medical conditions on fitness to drive and crash risk has long been recognised. Therefore doctors and other health professionals play an important role in public health and safety when advising patients about fitness to drive and when providing information to driver licensing authorities to support their decision making in this regard. Various forms support communication between the doctor, patient and driver licensing authority.

New medical standards for drivers.

Background: The national standards for assessing private and commercial vehicle drivers have recently been revised and combined into a single publication 'Assessing Fitness to Drive', published by Austroads. The new publication provides greater clarity of medical criteria for general practitioners and specialists and also details useful management guidelines.

Objective: This article introduces GPs to the new standards, outlines the key changes and implications for practice and highlights several medical, legal and ethical issues.