Tailored Home Intervention Reduces Falls by 33% in Stroke Patients

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary, home based, tailored intervention to reduce falls after stroke. DESIGN: Two armed, randomised trial. SETTING: Three states in Australia. PARTICIPANTS: People within 5 years of stroke, aged >50 years, discharged from formal rehabilitation to the community, and able to walk 10 m across flat ground with or without an aid. Those with moderate-to-severe receptive aphasia or walking speed >1.4 m/s without falls in the previous year were excluded. INTERVENTION: Over 6 months, the experimental group received a habit forming functional exercise, home fall hazard reduction, and goal directed community mobility coaching; the control group received usual care. Physiotherapist and occupational therapist dyadic teams worked collaboratively to deliver the intervention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was rate of falls over 12 months. Secondary outcomes were proportion of participants having a fall, community participation, self-efficacy, balance, mobility, physical activity, activities of daily living, depression, and health related quality of life. RESULTS: Between August 2019 and December 2023, 370 people with stroke were enrolled. At 12 months, a significant between group difference was seen in the rate of falls in favour of the experimental group, representing a 33% reduction in falls (incidence rate ratio 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.48 to 0.94; P=0.02). No significant between group difference was seen in the number of participants having a fall (absolute risk reduction 0.03, 95% CI -0.07 to 0.13; P=0.52). The main between group differences in favour of the experimental group were in community participation (Late Life Function and Disability Instrument disability limitation: mean difference 3% (95% CI 1% to 6%); P=0.02), self-efficacy (mean difference 0.6 (0.2 to 1.0); P=0.004), mobility (fast walking speed: mean difference 0.13 (0.06 to 0.19) m/s (P<0.001); preferred walking speed: 0.06 (0.02 to 0.10) m/s (P=0.02)), and balance (Step Test: mean difference 0.06 (0.01 to 0.12) steps/s; P=0.03). CONCLUSION: A tailored intervention prevented falls in community dwelling, ambulatory people with stroke. The decrease in the rate of falls was underpinned by clinically worthwhile improvements in self-efficacy, mobility, community participation, and balance. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12619001114134.