Keywords

Falls, stroke, injury prevention

 

Authors

  1. An, Seung Heon PhD, PT

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the validity of the original version and short version of the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI-8 and DGI-4) in predicting falls in stroke survivors.

 

Design: This is a retrospective, cross-sectional study.

 

Method: This study collected data for 57 chronic stroke survivors and evaluated the validity of the DGI-8 and DGI-4. To test functional ability, the Sit-to-Stand Test, gait subscale of the Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment, the 10-m Walk Test, the Fugl-Meyer assessment, and the Trunk Impairment Scale were used.

 

Findings: For the DGI-8, the cutoff value for the prediction of a fall was shown to be 16.5, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.78. The cutoff value of the DGI-4 was shown to be 9.5, with an AUC of 0.77.

 

Conclusions: The study results show that the DGI-8 and DGI-4 have discrimination in the prediction of fall in stroke survivors.

 

Clinical Relevance: DGI-8 and DGI-4 can be useful for predicting falls of stroke patients, allowing better quality of care.