Article

OBJECTIVE: To compare the use of fall prevention strategies by people with
multiple sclerosis (MS) who do or do not fall. DESIGN: Prospective cohort. All
assessments were completed between January 2011 and December 2011. Data used in
this analysis were collected as part of an observational study that included
baseline assessment followed by prospective counting of falls using fall
calendars. SETTING: Veterans Affairs and university medical centers.
PARTICIPANTS: People with MS (N=58) of any subtype, aged 18 to 50 years, with
Expanded Disability Status Scale score </= 6.0, recruited from MS clinics at the
Portland VA Medical Center and Oregon Health and Science University and from the
surrounding areas. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measures
included the occurrence of falls over 3 months and scores on the Fall Prevention
Strategy Survey (FPSS) and the relations between fall prevention strategy use
reported on the FPSS and falls. RESULTS: A total of 52 subjects completed the
study. Of these, 33 (63%) subjects fell at least once in the 3-month period, and
19 (36%) subjects did not fall. The mean total FPSS score for the fallers was
significantly higher than the nonfallers (mean +/- SD, 8.1 +/- 6.4 vs 4.0 +/-
4.1; range, 0-20 vs 0-15; P=.007), and FPSS scores correlated with monthly fall
rates (rho=.49, P=.01). A higher proportion of fallers than nonfallers used the
strategies of turning on lights at home, asking others for help, and talking to a
health care professional about fall prevention. However, both groups rarely
talked to a health care professional about fall prevention or asked a provider to
check whether any medications might increase fall risk. CONCLUSIONS: People with
MS who fall use more fall prevention strategies than those who do not fall.
CI - Copyright (c) 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS