What this means
The program lowered some fall risk factors and helped people spot hazards at home. It did not cut the number of falls, so it does not show it prevents falls.
Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the abstract. The original is below.
- Who it was tested in
- 220 adults aged 65-80 living in the community, randomly split into two groups
- Kind of research
- A study
The science
- Original title
- Evaluating the PM ACTIVAS Nurse-Led Preventive Care Model for Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
- Authors
- Bustamante-Troncoso C, Marquez-Doren F, Alcayaga-Rojas C et al.
- Journal
- Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
- Published
- Oct 16, 2026
- Study type
- Study
- PMID
- 42881590 ↗
Abstract
Background
Falls among community-dwelling older adults are a major public health challenge and a leading cause of functional decline. Although multifactorial fall prevention strategies are recommended, evidence on comprehensive nurse-led preventive care models in primary health care remains limited. This study evaluated the clinical effects of the PM ACTIVAS nurse-led preventive care model among community-dwelling older adults in routine primary health care.
What they did
This article reports the quantitative component of a broader mixed-methods research programme. A two-arm randomized controlled trial included 220 community-dwelling adults aged 65-80 years randomly assigned to the PM ACTIVAS intervention (n = 110) or usual care (n = 110). The 12-month intervention combined multidimensional fall-risk assessment, individualized care planning, home environmental assessment, health education, a home safety kit, family involvement, and monthly telephone follow-up. The primary outcome was the number of falls (fall frequency) during the 12-month follow-up; secondary outcomes were fall occurrence, modifiable fall-risk factors, recognition of environmental fall hazards, and fear of falling.
What they found
Primary outcome data were available for 145 participants, with no significant between-group difference in the number of falls (p = 0.164). Fall occurrence, a secondary outcome, also did not differ significantly between groups (17 participants [23.3%] in the intervention group vs. 19 [26.4%] in the control group; p = 0.666). After adjustment for baseline scores, the intervention group showed significantly fewer fall-risk factors (p = 0.001; partial η2 = 0.07) and greater recognition of environmental fall hazards (p = 0.044; partial η2 = 0.02). No between-group differences were observed in fear of falling. Although the PM ACTIVAS nurse-led preventive care model did not significantly reduce the number of falls over 12 months, it reduced modifiable fall-risk factors and improved recognition of environmental hazards. These findings suggest that coordinated nurse-led care may provide a structured approach to operationalizing evidence-based fall prevention within routine primary health care and support further evaluation of this model in community settings.
The authors' abstract, grouped under plain headings from its own section labels.
Bustamante-Troncoso C, Marquez-Doren F, Alcayaga-Rojas C et al. Evaluating the PM ACTIVAS Nurse-Led Preventive Care Model for Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland). 2026. doi:10.3390/healthcare14193151. PMID: 42881590. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42881590/