Combined Assessment of Cognitive and Balance Abilities to Predict Falls in Patients in the Convalescent Rehabilitation Ward

Koki Kawamura; Shota Ishino; Masato Hotta; Hitoshi Kagaya; Izumi Kondo; Kenichi Ozaki; Manabu Kokubo

doi:10.1177/08982643241302366

Combined Assessment of Cognitive and Balance Abilities to Predict Falls in Patients in the Convalescent Rehabilitation Ward

J Aging Health. 2024 Nov 18:8982643241302366. doi: 10.1177/08982643241302366. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Koki Kawamura^{1

2}, Shota Ishino¹, Masato Hotta³, Hitoshi Kagaya¹, Izumi Kondo⁴, Kenichi Ozaki¹, Manabu Kokubo⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi, Japan.
² Department of Palliative and Supportive Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Aichi Medical University, Aich, Japan.
³ Department of Rehabilitation, Juko-Osu Hospital, Aichi, Japan.
⁴ Assistive Robot Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi, Japan.
⁵ Department of medical safety promotion, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, Aichi, Japan.

PMID: 39556883
DOI: 10.1177/08982643241302366

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between falls and cognitive and balance problems in patients.

Methods: This retrospective observational study analyzed the medical records of 1010 older patients admitted to a convalescent rehabilitation ward. The primary endpoint was fall occurrence during ward stays. The main outcomes were the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Standing Test for Imbalance and Disequilibrium (SIDE), with patients divided into groups of MMSE ≥28 and <28 and SIDE ≥2b and <2b.

Results: During ward stays, 220 patients (22%) fell. Estimating the fall risk of the MMSE ≥28 + SIDE ≥2b group compared to that of other groups revealed that only the MMSE <28 + SIDE <2b group had a significantly higher fall risk, with a hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] of 3.13 [1.51-6.46].

Conclusion: Combined MMSE and SIDE assessment at ward admission facilitated the easy identification of individuals at high fall risk.

Keywords: convalescent rehabilitation ward; fall risk; mini-mental state examination; older patients; standing test for imbalance and disequilibrium.