Bottom line:  In hospitals, multifaceted interventions may be associated with reduced incidence of falls, but evidence in this Cochrane review was inconclusive.  In care facilities, vitamin D supplementation is effective; exercise may be effective but studies have conflicting results; and multifaceted prevention programs may be beneficial but results are inconclusive.  In subacute hospitals, exercise is associated with a reduction in falls.

Details: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Dec 12;12:CD005465. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD005465.pub3. Interventions for preventing falls in older people in care facilities and hospitals. Cameron ID, et al.

Systematic review of 60 randomized controlled trials, N=60,345 (17 in hospitals  29,972 participants.)  Beginning on page 107, the review presents analysis of evidence in the following intervention categories:  vitamin D, exercise, medication review by pharmacist, environmental interventions, social interventions, other single interventions, multiple interventions, and multifactorial intervention programs.  Analysis of data pertaining to hospitals begins at Analysis 12.1 (p. 132.)

Updated 3/1/13