Risk of falls in people with chronic kidney disease and related factors.
Thaís Carrera de Carvalho, Ariane Polidoro Dini
PMID 32520242WHAT IT FOUND
37.4% of 131 hemodialysis patients reported at least one fall in the past year.
Diabetes, walking aids, and difficulty walking were linked to more falls or high fall risk. Women and people with less schooling feared falling most.
Key findings
0137.4% of participants reported at least one fall in the past year, and 93.8% had some Morse fall risk, including 37.4% at high risk.
02Diabetes, difficulty walking, and walking aid use were linked to falls or high fall risk in the prevalence model.
03Fear of falling was higher in women and in participants with less schooling.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in one nephrology center, so it may not apply to other dialysis services or countries. Falls in the last year were reported by participants, so recall may have been incomplete or inaccurate. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that diabetes, walking aids, difficulty walking, schooling, or frailty caused falls. The authors said there was no specific instrument designed to assess fall risk in hemodialysis patients, so the Morse scale may not capture dialysis-related risk well. The paper did not test any intervention, so it cannot tell clinicians which fall-prevention treatment works.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that diabetes, walking aids, or difficulty walking cause falls. This single-center cross-sectional study measured these factors and falls at one point, so it can show association but not cause.