Abstract
[Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to clarify the points of risk assessment made in clinical judgments by physical therapists (PT) with over ten years’ clinical experience, and to examine the accuracy of their fall prediction. [Subjects and Method] At first, we carried out a focus group interview of 11 participant PTs, and we classified and abstracted the abnormal aspects of motion leading to a fall to make a TUG check list. Next, for 6 PTs, we examined the accuracy of their fall prediction according to the TUG check list after showing video clips of 21 elderly persons. [Result] Visual analogue scale (VAS) score was highly correlated to the conventional screening tests and concordant with the personal history of fall. Check list item “Sitting-down motion problem” was also significantly related to the history of falls and showed a high predictive accuracy. [Conclusion] The accuracy of the fall prediction in the clinical judgments of PTs with over ten years’ clinical experience was high. The addition of the observation of sitting TUG down to the test can be expected to improve the conventional screening test for fall.
