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Abstract
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OBJECTIVES: To determine a) the prevalence of lying on the floor or ground for 10 minutes or more (delayed initial recovery) and for more than 1 hour (long lie) after a fall; and b) factors associated with delayed initial recovery among people aging with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).
DESIGN: A secondary analysis of data available from a national, cross-sectional descriptive study of PwMS. Information regarding post-fall experiences was extracted from open-ended questions about participants' most recent fall. SETTING: Community PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred people aged 55 years or older with MS were recruited from the North America Committee on Multiple Sclerosis registry, 354 completed the interview. 322 provided a fall story that included information regarding post-fall experiences. INTERVENTION: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participant's self-report regarding time lying on the floor or ground after their most recent fall was used to determine delayed initial recovery (≥ 10 minutes) and long lie (> 1 hour).
RESULTS: A total of 89 of 322 fallers (27.6%) reported delayed initial recovery; 15 of whom (4.7%) reported a long lie. Logistic regression analysis revealed five factors associated with delayed initial recovery: longer disease duration (odds ratio [OR]=1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.00-1.05), fall leading to a fracture (OR=2.73, CI=1.11-6.72), received help to get up (OR=3.94, CI=2.07-7.50), depression (OR=1.96, CI=1.10-3.49), and leg weakness (OR=2.14, CI=1.13-4.03). No significant differences were found between fallers who reported a long lie and those who reported a delayed initial recovery.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that while delayed initial recovery is common, long lies are not prevalent among PwMS. The high prevalence of delayed initial recovery highlights the importance of including fall management strategies in fall prevention programs for PwMS.
Language: en |