Risk Factors Associated With Falls and Fall-Related Injuries Among Wheelchair Users With Spinal Cord Injury.
Libak Abou, Laura A Rice
PMID 35756987WHAT IT FOUND
Wheelchair users with spinal cord injury were more likely to report falls if their injury was more recent or if they had better mobility scores.
Better physical quality of life was linked to fewer fall injuries.
Key findings
01Thirty-seven participants reported at least one fall in the previous 6 months.
02More recent injury and higher Spinal Cord Independence Measure mobility score were associated with being a faller.
03Higher physical health quality-of-life score was associated with lower odds of fall-related injury.
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 analysis included only 59 people, and the fall-injury model was based on only 30 fallers with injury data. Participants were a convenience sample recruited through support groups, social media, and advertisements, so they may not represent all wheelchair users with spinal cord injury. Falls and injuries were self-reported for the previous 6 months, which can be affected by recall bias. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that time since injury, mobility, or physical quality of life caused falls or injuries. Most participants may have underreported minor fall-related injuries. Fall-prevention education details were not collected, so the finding that education was not associated with outcomes is hard to interpret.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that fall-prevention education is ineffective. The study found no association between reported education and falls or injuries, but it did not collect what the education covered, how long it lasted, or who delivered it.