A Falls Prevention Program for People After Stroke in Guyana: An International Collaboration.
Maureen Romanow Pascal, Barbara Lawrence, Stephanie Pires and 6 others
PMID 39109828WHAT IT FOUND
In Guyana, 19 people post-stroke who joined an 8-week home and clinic falls prevention program showed improved walking speed and sit-to-stand time.
Most reported less fear of falling and continued the exercises at home. This is a small pilot study, so it shows feasibility and preliminary benefit, not proven efficacy.
Key findings
0115 of 19 participants improved comfortable walking speed, and 16 of 19 improved fast walking speed, with some reaching minimal clinically important differences.
0211 of 12 participants who could complete the test improved their Five Times Sit to Stand time, with 9 showing a minimal detectable change.
03The proportion of participants very concerned about falling dropped from 53% at pretest to 16% at posttest.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study had a very small sample size (19 participants) and no control group, so improvements may be due to natural recovery or practice effects rather than the intervention. The study was unblinded, and participants knew they were being assessed, which may bias self-reported fear of falling and activity levels. The fear of falling questionnaire was developed for the study and has not been validated. Only two objective measures (10MWT and FTSTS) were used, and participants practiced these specific movements during the intervention, potentially inflating scores. The sample was recruited from one outpatient department in Guyana, limiting generalizability to other contexts or populations with different environmental challenges.
Declared interests
Funded by Misericordia University Research. The funders played no role in the design, conduct, or reporting of the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the significant improvements in walking speed and reduced fear of falling as proof that this specific program is superior to usual care or effective for all post-stroke populations. The lack of a control group means these changes could reflect natural recovery, placebo effects, or practice on the outcome measures.