چکیده:
Aging declines abilities and leads to increased risk of falling and subsequently poorer quality of life. The objective of this study was to identify a proper assessment for risk of falling among institutionalized elderly. In order to accomplish this aim, two functional assessment methods, Berg Scale and Tinetti Scale, were used and the validity indices of these methods were calculated. Prospective non-interventional methodological discriminative-validation study in order to make a comparative assessment of the discriminative validity of the two clinical assessment methods among the elderly people with/without history of falling. The frequency of falls within 6 months among institutionalized elderly individuals was prospectively studied. Finally, those having had two or more falls within 6 months were enrolled in the faller group and those having no falls within 6 months were enrolled in the non-faller group. Twenty-one women and 33 men (mean age: 75.79, standard deviation [SD]: 8.47, range: 61-98) independent in their daily activities and able to walk 10 meters using/without assistive devices volunteered to participate in the study with awareness. Background variables included age, gender, use/nonuse of assistive devices, height, weight, number of the drugs used, and number of the diseases; independent variable was history of falling; and dependent variables were the results of the two functional assessment methods. Independent t-test indicated a significant difference between the two groups of fallers and non-fallers in the mean scores on Berg Balance Scale (P=0.0001) and Tinetti Scale (P=0.0001). The results of logistic regression test indicated much more discriminative validity for Berg Balance Scale test than Tinetti Scale test. Studying the validity of Berg Balance Scale assessment method showed that all validity indices should be regarded as bases for clinical decision.
خلاصه ماشینی:
Prospective non-interventional methodological discriminative-valida- tion study in order to make a com- parative assessment of the discrimi- native validity of the two clinical assessment methods among the elderly people with/without historyof falling.
Background variables included age, gender, use/nonuse of assistive devices, height, weight, number of the drugs used, and number of the diseases; independent variable was history of falling; and dependent variables were the results of the two functional assessment methods.
Independent t test indicated a sig- nificant difference between the two groups of fallers and non-fallers in the mean scores on Berg Balance Scale (P=.
Results: As mentioned before, the discrimi- native validities of the two assess- ment methods, Tinetti Scale and Berg Balance Scale, were studied in 54 elderly individuals with/without history of falling.
In order to make the best clinical decision in discriminating the elderly individuals with history of falling from those without such history, the validity indices including the sensitiv- ity, specificity, predictive value, and likelihood of Berg Balance Scale assessment were calculated.
Discussion As mentioned before, Berg Balance Scale assessment method is of more discriminative validity in differentiating those elderly people with history of fall from those with- out such history (Table 2).
[17] As mentioned before, the validity indices of Berg Balance Scale assessment method were studied in order to make the best clinical deci- sion in discriminating between the elderly people with history of falls from those without such history.