2019 Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 541-546
[Purpose] To confirm the usefulness of a cutoff value list (see the literature on stroke) to prevent falls among post-stroke patients on post-acute rehabilitation wards by assessing their gait independence and fall risk levels. [Participants and Methods] Post-stroke patients were divided into 2 groups based on the period when the list was adopted: pre-adoption: 123 discharged from the study center in FY2016; and adoption: 119 discharged from it in FY2017, to compare FIM scores and the incidences of falls before and after the adoption. Furthermore, a questionnaire survey was conducted, involving 28 physical therapists. [Results] There were significant differences in the incidence of falls and total FIM score on discharge (p<0.05). In the questionnaire survey, values representing the therapists’ views on the <feasibility of determining gait independence levels upon deliberations with various other types of profession based on performance test results and risk factors associated with falls> significantly increased after the adoption (p<0.05). [Conclusion] The use of the cutoff value list may also change physical therapists’ awareness.
