Authors: (including presenting author): :
Cheung TW, Cheng YF, Lau CWC, Wong CM, O HH, Chao YLC, Leung YYC
Affiliation: :
Physiotherapy Department, Princess Margaret Hospital
Keyword 2: :
geriatric day hospital
Keyword 4: :
fall prediction
Keyword 5: :
physiotherapy
Introduction: :
Falls are common among the geriatric population and often lead to injuries, functional decline and hospital readmissions. Mobility assessment tools are commonly used by physiotherapists to evaluate fall risk in older adults and to plan fall prevention interventions.
Objectives: :
To evaluate the predicative capacity of using Modified Functional Ambulation Classification (MFAC), Elderly Mobility Scale (EMS) and Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) on fall episodes in older adults.
Methodology: :
This was a retrospective analysis of a large cohort drawn from the hospital Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System (CDARS) with the specialty code “FALL” for older adults discharged from the Geriatric Day Hospital (GDH) of Princess Margaret Hospital between 1st April 2022 and 30th November 2024. Mobility assessment outcomes on MFAC, EMS, TUGT at discharge and occurrence of fall related readmission within one year after discharge from GDH were captured. Fall related readmission was predicted using TUGT and EMS with univariate logistic regression, and MFAC with a chi square test. Patients were categorized into walkers required assistance (MFAC 3-5) and walkers without assistance (MFAC 6-7).
Result & Outcome: :
One hundred and seventy-six patients(92males,84 females)with a mean age of 75.9±11.0 years were identified having fall-related hospital admission in the studying period.56 of them had at least one recurrent fall with readmission within one year after discharge from GDH. Higher EMS scores were significantly associated with lower odds ratios of fall related readmission(OR=0.91,95%CI=0.84–0.99,p =0.02).Pearson’s chi‑square test showed a significant association between final walking status and fall‑related readmission(χ²=5.7,df=1,p=0.017), with patients who required assistance to walk having approximately three times higher odds of fall‑related readmission than those who walked independently (OR=3.03,95%CI=1.17–7.75). TUGT was not statistically significant for predicting fall related readmission (p=0.07).The findings demonstrated that MFAC and EMS can be used to predict fall related readmission in older adults,while a larger sample may be required to estimate the predictive value of TUGT.
