J Korean Acad Nurs.
2004 Oct;34(6):1081-1091.
Prevalence and Associated Factors of Falls among People with Parkinson's Disease
- Affiliations
-
- 1College of Nursing, The Catholic University, Korea. sky@catholic.ac.kr
- 2Department of Neurology, KangNam St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University, Korea. sky@catholic.ac.kr
Abstract
- PURPOSE
This study was done to identify the risk factors associated with falls among patients with Parkinson's Disease(PD). METHOD: A retrospective study design was used through the collection of physiological and physical health, and psychosocial functions. RESULTS: Of the 100 participants, fifty-nine(59%) reported one or more falls and seventy-one(71%) reported one or more near-falls. Anaverage 34.7 falls and 150.3 near-falls were reported in the previous year per person. Stage of PD, foot problems, balance, fear of falling, and activities of daily living were significantly associated with an increased risk of falls. CONCLUSION: The findings confirm the high risk of falling in PD patients. Also these results have implications for developing fall prevention programs for PD patients.