TY - JOUR PY - 2022// TI - Development and validation of a fall questionnaire for patients with Parkinson's disease JO - Movement disorders clinical practice A1 - Frank, Anika A1 - Bendig, Jonas A1 - Finkbeiner, Sophia A1 - Hähnel, Tom A1 - Schnalke, Nils A1 - Feige, Tim A1 - Reichmann, Heinz A1 - Falkenburger, Björn H. SP - 900 EP - 908 VL - 9 IS - 7 N2 - BACKGROUND: In Parkinson's disease, postural instability and falls are of particular socioeconomic relevance. Although effective fall prevention and the prophylaxis of fall-related injuries depend on low-threshold symptom monitoring, validated instruments are lacking.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a self-report questionnaire for the assessment of falls, near falls, fear of falling, fall-related injuries, and causes of falls for patients with Parkinson's disease (PwPD).

METHODS: A pool of potential items was generated from a literature review and by discussion in an expert panel. The first version of the Dresden Fall Questionnaire (DREFAQ) was tested in a group of German-speaking movement disorder specialists as well as PwPD. The resulting 5-item questionnaire was assessed in a validation cohort of 36 PwPD who documented fall events and near-fall events in a calendar for 3 months and completed the DREFAQ at the end of the study. The questionnaire was subsequently used in a separate cohort of 46 PwPD to determine test-retest reliability and confirm the factor structure.

RESULTS: The DREFAQ showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.84) and good test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.60-0.86). The total DREFAQ score showed good concurrent validity with fall events (Spearman's ρ = 0.82) and near-fall events (Spearman's ρ = 0.78) as determined by fall and near-fall diaries. Factor analysis revealed a 2-factor structure composed of near falls with fear of falling and severe falls with injuries.

CONCLUSIONS: The DREFAQ is a reliable and valid 5-item questionnaire for determining the incidence of falls, near falls, fear of falling, fall-related injuries, and causes of falls in PwPD.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 2330-1619 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mdc3.13515 ID - ref1 ER -