PURPOSE: Falls are a major and growing health care problem in older adults. A patient portal has the potential to provide older adults with fall-prevention advice to reduce fall-risk. However, to date, the needs and preferences regarding a patient portal in older people who have experienced falls have not been explored. This study assesses content preferences, potential barriers and facilitators with regard to using a patient portal, as perceived by older people who have experienced falls, and explores regional differences between European participants. METHODS: We conducted a survey of older adults attending an outpatient clinic due to a fall or fall-related injury, to explore their content preferences, perceived barriers, and facilitators with respect to a fall-prevention patient portal. Older adults (N = 121, 69.4% female, mean age: 77.9) were recruited from seven European countries. RESULTS: Almost two-thirds of respondents indicated they would use a fall-prevention patient portal. The portal would preferably include information on Fall-Risk-Increasing Drugs (FRIDs), and ways to manage other related/relevant medical conditions. Facilitators included a user-friendly portal, with easily accessible information and physician recommendations to use the portal. The most-commonly-selected barriers were privacy issues and usage fees. A family member's recommendation to use the portal was seemingly more important for Southern and Eastern European participants compared to the other regions. CONCLUSION: The majority of older people with lived falls experience expressed an interest in a fall-prevention patient portal providing personalized treatment advice to prevent further falls. The results will be used to inform the development of a fall-prevention patient portal. The fall-prevention patient portal is intended to be used in addition to a consultation with a physician. Future research is needed to explore how to prevent falls in older patients who are not interested in a fall-prevention patient portal.

Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute Amsterdam The Netherlands

Amsterdam School of Communication Research ASCoR University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands

Department of Geriatric Medicine Odense University Hospital Odense Denmark

Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Department of Medical Informatics Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam Meibergdreef 9 Amsterdam The Netherlands

Division of Geriatrics Department of Internal Medicine Istanbul Medical Faculty Istanbul University Istanbul Turkey

Division of Geriatrics Department of Internal Medicine Liv Hospital Vadistanbul Istanbul Turkey

Faculty of Health and Social Sciences South Bohemian University České Budějovice Czech Republic

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli IRCCS Catholic University Rome Italy

Geriatric Research Unit Department of Clinical Research University of Southern Denmark Odense Denmark

Health Care of Older People East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust Canterbury Kent UK

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Nottingham UK

Section of Geriatric Medicine Department of Internal Medicine Academic Medical Center Amsterdam UMC University of Amsterdam D3 227 Meibergdreef 9 1105 AZ Amsterdam The Netherlands

Servicio de Geriatría Hospital General Universitario de Ciudad Real Ciudad Real Spain

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