Falls in hospital patients with acquired communication disability secondary to stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

CONCLUSION & IMPLICATIONS: The results of this systematic review suggest that a generic classification of communication disability following stroke is not a risk factor for falls. However, further research that is inclusive of this population and considers severity of communication disability more specifically is required. What this paper adds What is already known on the subject The association between communication disability following stroke and falls in hospital is unclear. The literature reports mixed results regarding the impact of a communication disability following stroke on falls risk or rates of falls during hospital admission. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This review is the first to bring together this diverse literature to examine the association between communication disability following stroke and falls in hospital. The results suggest that a generic classification of communication disability following stroke is not a risk factor for falls. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? There is a possibility that moderate to severe communication disability may be related to falls in patients in hospital. Further research is indicated to be more inclusive of people with communication disability, including those with severe communication disability. PMID: 32970385 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Int J Lang Commun Disord Source Type: research