OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the reliability and user experiences of an automated telephone system to monitor falls during a prolonged period of time. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Four neurological outpatient clinics in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred nineteen community-dwelling people with Parkinson's disease without dementia, because falls are common in this population. MEASUREMENTS: Clinical and demographic data were obtained. The Falls Telephone is a computerized telephone system through which participants can enter the number of falls during a particular period. During a follow-up of 1 to 40 weekly calls, 2,465 calls were made. In total, 173 no-fall entries and 115 fall entries were verified using personal telephone interviews. User experiences were evaluated in 90 of the 119 participants using structured telephone interviews. RESULTS: All no-fall entries and 78% of fall entries were confirmed to be correct. Sensitivity to detect falls was 100%, and specificity was 87%. Users regarded the Falls Telephone as a convenient tool to monitor falls. CONCLUSION: The Falls Telephone is a convenient and reliable instrument to monitor falls. The automated system has high specificity, obviating the need for time-consuming personal follow-up calls in the majority of nonfallers. As such, the Falls Telephone lends itself well to data collection in large trials with prolonged follow-up in participants with Parkinson's disease.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the reliability and user experiences of an automated telephone system to monitor falls during a prolonged period of time. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Four neurological outpatient clinics in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred nineteen community-dwelling people with Parkinson's disease without dementia, because falls are common in this population. MEASUREMENTS: Clinical and demographic data were obtained. The Falls Telephone is a computerized telephone system through which participants can enter the number of falls during a particular period. During a follow-up of 1 to 40 weekly calls, 2,465 calls were made. In total, 173 no-fall entries and 115 fall entries were verified using personal telephone interviews. User experiences were evaluated in 90 of the 119 participants using structured telephone interviews. RESULTS: All no-fall entries and 78% of fall entries were confirmed to be correct. Sensitivity to detect falls was 100%, and specificity was 87%. Users regarded the Falls Telephone as a convenient tool to monitor falls. CONCLUSION: The Falls Telephone is a convenient and reliable instrument to monitor falls. The automated system has high specificity, obviating the need for time-consuming personal follow-up calls in the majority of nonfallers. As such, the Falls Telephone lends itself well to data collection in large trials with prolonged follow-up in participants with Parkinson's disease.
Authors: Natalie E Allen; Colleen G Canning; Lorena Rosa S Almeida; Bastiaan R Bloem; Samyra Hj Keus; Niklas Löfgren; Alice Nieuwboer; Geert Saf Verheyden; Tiê P Yamato; Catherine Sherrington Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2022-06-06
Authors: Katrijn Smulders; Rianne A J Esselink; Aner Weiss; Roy P C Kessels; Alexander C H Geurts; Bastiaan R Bloem Journal: J Neurol Date: 2012-09 Impact factor: 4.849
Authors: Marlies van Nimwegen; Arlène D Speelman; Sebastiaan Overeem; Bart P van de Warrenburg; Katrijn Smulders; Manon L Dontje; George F Borm; Frank J G Backx; Bastiaan R Bloem; Marten Munneke Journal: BMJ Date: 2013-03-01