Abstract: Background: In Parkinson’s disease, postural instability and falls are of particular socioeconomic relevance. Although effective fall prevention and the prophylaxis of fall-related injuries depend on low-threshold symptom monitoring, validated instruments are lacking. Objectives: To develop a self-report questionnaire for the assessment of falls, near falls, fear of falling, fallrelated injuries, and causes of falls for patients with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD). - Methods: A pool of potential items was generated from a literature review and by discussion in an expert panel. The first version of the Dresden Fall Questionnaire (DREFAQ) was tested in a group of German-speaking movement disorder specialists as well as PwPD. The resulting 5-item questionnaire was assessed in a validation cohort of 36 PwPD who documented fall events and near-fall events in a calendar for 3 months and completed the DREFAQ at the end of the study. The questionnaire was subsequently used in a separate cohort of 46 PwPD to determine test–retest reliability and confirm the factor structure. - Results: The DREFAQ showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.84) and good test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.60–0.86). The total DREFAQ score showed good concurrent validity with fall events (Spearman’s ρ = 0.82) and near-fall events (Spearman’s ρ = 0.78) as determined by fall and near-fall diaries. Factor analysis revealed a 2-factor structure composed of near falls with fear of falling and severe falls with injuries. - Conclusions: The DREFAQ is a reliable and valid 5-item questionnaire for determining the incidence of falls, near falls, fear of falling, fall-related injuries, and causes of falls in PwPD.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:90403 |
| Date | 04 April 2024 |
| Creators | Frank, Anika, Bendig, Jonas, Finkbeiner, Sophia, Hähnel, Tom, Schnalke, Nils, Feige, Tim, Reichmann, Heinz, Falkenburger, Björn H. |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 2330-1619, 10.1002/mdc3.13515 |
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