Predicting Falls among Patients after Post-Stroke Discharge Using Physical Function Assessment on Admission

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to estimate the relationship between physical function at hospitalization and falls after discharge. [Subjects] The participants were 79, community-dwelling patients with stroke who had independent gait. [Methods] Physical function was measured by Brunnstrom Recovery Stage, one-leg standing time, and 10-m walking time. Subjects recorded experiences of falls for one year after discharge from rehabilitation. [Results] Sixty-three per cent of people (50/79) had a fall accident in the year after discharge. The fall group showed lower Brunnstrom Recovery Stage, lower one-leg standing, weaker knee extensor strength, lower Barthel Index and higher 10-m walking time than the no-fall group (p<0.05). Logistic regression analysis also indicated that the fall group had lower one-leg standing time than the no-fall group (95% CI: 0.829-0.981). The cutoff value for the one-leg standing time in predicted fall was 3.5 sec (sensitivity 86.0%, specificity 69.0%). [Conclusion] One-leg standing time during hospitalization was associated with falls for one year after discharge from rehabilitation, suggesting that this test is effective at predicting fall accidents for patients with stroke.