Questionnaire and Performance Tests Related to Falls and Balance

Abstract

Improving patients’ quality of life (QOL) is a crucial goal of medical care. Consequently, recent clinical research and evaluations have increasingly focused on patient-reported outcomes (PRO). PROs are a direct subjective assessment of the patients’ feelings, including their fears and anxieties, and provide critical insights into patients’ experiences. In addition to these subjective assessments, incorporating objective measures, for example, balance ability testing for evaluating the risk of falls, are also essential. Objective measures enable, for example, predicting the risk of falls, assessing the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions, developing treatment plans, and comparing different therapeutic outcomes. This comprehensive approach enhances patient safety and improves the QOL of the patients, particularly in the area of fall prevention. This article focuses on falls and reviews the usefulness of questionnaires and performance tests focused on falls and balance ability. We introduce clinically useful test batteries that provide valuable information for healthcare professionals. Combining subjective and objective measures supports clinical and medical evaluation, preventing falls and enhancing the patient QOL.