Falls among stroke survivors: an online survey on perceptions and approaches among physiotherapists in Flanders

Objective. To describe physiotherapists' perceptions of fall risk and appropriate fall prevention interventions in rehabilitating stroke patients. Method. A web-based survey addressed to physiotherapy units on a stroke unit, general neurology department or rehabilitation ward/centre in Flanders. Results. Hospital response rate was 66.3%,. Sixty-five physiotherapy units were taken into account. About 84.6% recognised falls among stroke patients as an essential problem and 73.8% thought falls interfered with the outcome. About 56.9% agreed with the need of a standardised fall assessment at the beginning of the treatment and only 36.9% reported that on their department stroke patients are screened on risk of falling. The most used fall risk assessments are: Berg Balance scale and Tinetti-test. The most popular fall prevention measures are: specific exercises for balance, gait and functional abilities (100%), informative education (92.3%,) and adapting or intensifying the treatment after a fall (81.5%). Conclusions. Physiotherapy units acknowledge falls as an essential threat, implying a need for risk screening and prevention. However, results reveal that perception of the necessity of such screening is lower and that the performance is even less. This discrepancy underlines the necessity of guidelines and education of therapists working with stroke patients.