Multimedia patient education for preventing accidental falls amongst older hospital patients

INTERVENTION: Patients in group one will watch a DVD and read a booklet which will educate patients on how to minimise falls risk in hospital. In addition, this group will receive their usual care. Patients in group two will also receive this intervention and in addition, will also receive further face to face personal education from a health professional. The health professionals will have discretion over the duration of each patient session ‐ session lengths will range between 15 and 35 minutes. The total number of sessions provided through the content of the program is intended to be covered in 4 sessions and will vary between patients. The variability will range from 1 to 4 sessions. This is reflective of differences between and within individual patients' conditions such that on one day they may not feel well enough to have a session, or only be able to manage a short duration of discussion, but on other days may tolerate longer sessions. Up to three follow‐up sessions will be provided in a week. Education sessions will occur during admission at a varied time according to a patient’s medical condition. Therefore patients will receive up to 4 sessions over their whole admission, but times of delivery and frequency of delivery will vary from patient to patient. CONDITION: Accidental Falls PRIMARY OUTCOME: Accidental falls (event rate of falls measured in events per time units) as measured during the participants period of inpatient hospital care (the start of this observation period will be taken from the point of randomisation rather than the date of admission as it may take approximately 2 days to gain consent for participation, particularly where family members have to be approached). SECONDARY OUTCOME: Proportion of patients incurring one or more in‐hospital falls (fallers incidence measured in person units). Rate of fall‐related injury during the participants in‐hospital rate of falls. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Patients admitted to participating wards who are over 60 years old and able to participate voluntarily and provide signed informed consent or access to an appropriate family member/guardian or carer who can provide signed informed consent