By Twinkle Luthra, Senior Occupational Therapist, CPFT NHS Foundation Trust

Falls contribute to approximately 30% of spinal cord injuries, highlighting the critical need for effective prevention strategies.

On the occasion of 10th World SCI Day Poster Competition hosted by the ISCoS Prevention Committee, I presented a poster which presents an occupational therapy framework structured around the three pillars of practice: Person, Environment, and Occupation.

The Person: Comprehensive evaluation of intrinsic risk factors such as cognitive function, visual perception, and fear of falling. Interventions include education and compensatory strategies to address physical and cognitive deficits.

The Environment: Conducting thorough environmental risk assessments to identify hazards, recommending and prescribing adaptive equipment, and advocating for home modifications to improve safety.

The Occupation: Detailed analysis of how daily activities are performed to identify high-risk behaviours, with training provided to patients and caregivers on safe techniques to reduce fall risk. Key OT interventions include multifactorial fall risk assessments, environmental adaptations, transfer training based on evidence-based practices, equipment prescription tailored to individual capabilities, and patient and caregiver education.

This framework emphasizes the complex interplay of personal, environmental, and occupational factors in falls, positioning occupational therapy uniquely to reduce fall-related spinal cord injuries.

Here is a link to the full poster – (PDF) An Occupational Therapy Framework for Fall prevention using the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) Model