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Risk of falls in people with chronic kidney disease and related factors* * Paper extracted from master´s thesis “Risk of falls in chronic renal patients on hemodialysis and its related factors”, presented to Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Enfermagem, Campinas, SP, Brazil.

Abstracts

Objective:

to identify the risk and prevalence of falls in the last year in chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis; to associate the risk of falls with the fear of falling and socio-demographic-clinical variables.

Method:

association study. 131 individuals participated in the study. The Morse Falls Scale, the Fall Efficacy Scale and the Tilburg Frailty Indicator were used. The data were analyzed by linear regression, the level of significance adopted was 0.05.

Results:

97.7% were at risk for falls and 37.4% had at least one fall per year, with a mean of 2.02. Extreme concern about falling was presented by women, patients with less education, amputees, and frail individuals. Diabetes, as a comorbidity, and people with difficulty or need for assistance for ambulance showed a significant increase in the occurrence of falls.

Conclusion:

high risk and high prevalence of falls were found in hemodialysis patients, greater in those with diabetes or mobility limitations. Fear of falling was identified especially in women and in people with less education. These findings challenge the role of preventing falls, both in hemodialysis sessions and in the adoption of strategies for activities of daily living that involve patients and their families.

Descriptors:
Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Renal Dialysis; Accidental Falls; Patient Safety; Nursing; Fall


Objetivo:

identificar o risco e a prevalência de quedas no último ano em doentes renais crônicos em hemodiálise; associar o risco de queda com o medo de cair e variáveis sociodemográfico-clínicas.

Método:

estudo de associação. Participaram do estudo 131 indivíduos. Foram utilizados a Escala de Quedas de Morse, o Fall Efficacy Scale e o Tilburg Frailty Indicator. Os dados foram analisados por regressão linear, o nível de significância adotado foi de 0,05.

Resultados:

97,7% apresentaram risco para quedas e 37,4% apresentaram pelo menos uma queda ao ano, com média de 2,02. Apresentaram extrema preocupação em cair: as mulheres, os pacientes com menor nível de escolaridade, os amputados e os frágeis. A diabetes, enquanto comorbidade, e pessoas com dificuldade ou necessidade de auxílio para a deambulação apresentaram aumento significante quanto à ocorrência de quedas.

Conclusão:

constatou-se alto risco e alta prevalência de quedas nos pacientes em hemodiálise, maiores naqueles com diabetes ou com limitações na mobilidade. O medo de cair foi identificado especialmente nas mulheres e pessoas com menor escolaridade. Esses achados desafiam a protagonizar a prevenção de quedas, tanto nas sessões de hemodiálise, quanto na adoção de estratégias para as atividades de vida diária que envolvam pacientes e seus familiares.

Descritores:
Insuficiência Renal Crônica; Diálise Renal; Acidentes por Quedas; Segurança do Paciente; Enfermagem; Queda


Objetivo:

identificar el riesgo y la prevalencia de caídas en el último año en pacientes con insuficiencia renal crónica en hemodiálisis; asociar el riesgo de caer con el miedo a caer y las variables sociodemográficas-clínicas.

Método:

estudio de asociación. 131 personas participaron en el estudio. Se utilizaron la Escala de Caídas de Morse, la Fall Efficacy Scale y el Tilburg Frailty Indicator. Los datos fueron analizados por regresión lineal, el nivel de significancia adoptado fue de 0,05.

Resultados:

el 97,7% presentó riesgo de caídas y el 37,4% tenía al menos una caída por año, con un promedio de 2,02. Presentan extremada preocupación por las caídas: mujeres, pacientes con menos educación, y personas amputadas y frágiles. La diabetes, como comorbilidad, y las personas con dificultad o necesidad de asistencia para caminar mostraron un aumento significativo en la cantidad de caídas.

Conclusión:

se encontraron alto riesgo y alta prevalencia de caídas en pacientes en hemodiálisis, mayor en aquellos con diabetes o limitaciones de movilidad. El miedo a caer se identificó especialmente en mujeres y personas con menos educación. Estos hallazgos desafían el papel de la prevención de caídas, tanto en las sesiones de hemodiálisis como en la adopción de estrategias para las actividades de la vida diaria que involucran a los pacientes y a sus familiares.

Descriptores:
Insuficiencia Renal Crónica; Diálisis Renal; Accidentes Por Caídas; Seguridad del Paciente; Enfermería; Caer


Introduction

The 2019 Global Kidney Health Atlas points out that 10% of the world population is affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD) consisting of kidney damage and irreversible loss of kidney function, present for more than three months, in need of dialysis treatment(11 International Society of Nephrology. Global kidney health atlas. [Internet]. 2019 [Cited Jul 29, 2019]. Available from: https://www.theisn.org/focus/ckd#health-atlas
https://www.theisn.org/focus/ckd#health-...
-22 Marinho CLA, Oliveira JF, Borges JES, Silva RS, Fernandes FECV. Qualidade de vida de pessoas com doença renal crônica em hemodiálise. Rev Rene. 2017 Mai-Jun [Acesso 21 jan 2020];18(3):396-403. doi: 10.15253/2175-6783.2017000300016
https://doi.org/10.15253/2175-6783.20170...
).

CKD and hemodialysis are responsible for physical and emotional limitations with an important negative impact on the quality of life of people affected by this pathology, interfering in the performance of activities of daily living and restricting the social interaction of the individual, in addition to being associated with several comorbidities especially in elderly(11 International Society of Nephrology. Global kidney health atlas. [Internet]. 2019 [Cited Jul 29, 2019]. Available from: https://www.theisn.org/focus/ckd#health-atlas
https://www.theisn.org/focus/ckd#health-...

2 Marinho CLA, Oliveira JF, Borges JES, Silva RS, Fernandes FECV. Qualidade de vida de pessoas com doença renal crônica em hemodiálise. Rev Rene. 2017 Mai-Jun [Acesso 21 jan 2020];18(3):396-403. doi: 10.15253/2175-6783.2017000300016
https://doi.org/10.15253/2175-6783.20170...
-33 Lopez-Soto PJ, Giogi A, Senno E, Tiseo R, Ferraresi A, Canella C, et al. Renal disease and accidental falls: a review of published evidence. BMC Nephrol. 2015 Oct;16:176. doi: 10.1186/s12882-015-0173-7
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-015-0173-...
).

Comorbidities related to CKD can cause functional limitations, low cardio-respiratory fitness, fatigue, disturbances of mineral metabolism, which lead to bone mineral disease, and can ultimately act as a risk factor for accidents due to falls(11 International Society of Nephrology. Global kidney health atlas. [Internet]. 2019 [Cited Jul 29, 2019]. Available from: https://www.theisn.org/focus/ckd#health-atlas
https://www.theisn.org/focus/ckd#health-...

2 Marinho CLA, Oliveira JF, Borges JES, Silva RS, Fernandes FECV. Qualidade de vida de pessoas com doença renal crônica em hemodiálise. Rev Rene. 2017 Mai-Jun [Acesso 21 jan 2020];18(3):396-403. doi: 10.15253/2175-6783.2017000300016
https://doi.org/10.15253/2175-6783.20170...

3 Lopez-Soto PJ, Giogi A, Senno E, Tiseo R, Ferraresi A, Canella C, et al. Renal disease and accidental falls: a review of published evidence. BMC Nephrol. 2015 Oct;16:176. doi: 10.1186/s12882-015-0173-7
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-015-0173-...
-44 Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) CKD-MBD Update Work Group. KDIGO 2017 clinical practice guideline update for the diagnosis, evaluation, prevention, and treatment of chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD). Kidney Int Suppl. 2017 Jul;7(1):1-59. doi: 10.1016/j.kisu.2017.04.001
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kisu.2017.04.0...
), which are present in greater number in chronic renal patients undergoing dialysis treatment(55 Bowling CB, Bromfield SG, Colantonio LD, Gutiérrez OM, Shimbo D, Reynolds K, et al. Association of reduced eGFR and albuminuria with serious fall injuries among older adults. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2016 Jul;11(7):1236-43. doi: 10.2215/CJN.11111015
https://doi.org/10.2215/CJN.11111015...

6 Erken E, Ozelsancak R, Sahin S, Yilmaz EE, Torun D, Leblebici B, et al. The effect of hemodialysis on balance measurements and risk of fall. Int Urol Nephrol. 2016 Ago;48:1705-11. doi:10.1007/s11255-016-1388-7
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-016-1388-...
-77 Almeida OAE, Rodrigues MCS, Santos WS. Análise-reflexiva sobre o evento queda na segurança do paciente em hemodiálise. Cogitare Enferm. 2016 out-dez [Acesso 21 jan 2020];21(4):1-5. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5380/ce.v21i4.45566
http://dx.doi.org/10.5380/ce.v21i4.45566...
).

Patients on hemodialysis are at a higher risk of falls, ranging from 13% to 25%, compared to the general population(66 Erken E, Ozelsancak R, Sahin S, Yilmaz EE, Torun D, Leblebici B, et al. The effect of hemodialysis on balance measurements and risk of fall. Int Urol Nephrol. 2016 Ago;48:1705-11. doi:10.1007/s11255-016-1388-7
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-016-1388-...
,88 Kutner NG, Zhang R, Huang Y, Wasse H. Falls among hemodialysis patients: potential opportunities for prevention? Clin Kidney J. 2014 Jun;7:257-63. doi: 10.1093/ckj/sfu034
https://doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfu034...
-99 Polinder-Bos HA, Emmelot-Vonk MH, Gonsevoort RT, Diepenbroek A, Gaillard CAJM. High fall incidence and fracture rate in elderly dialysis patients. Neth J Med. [Internet]. 2014 Dec [cited Aug 25, 2019];72(10):509-15. Available from: http://www.njmonline.nl/getpdf.php?id=1510
http://www.njmonline.nl/getpdf.php?id=15...
). The rate of falls after hemodialysis is significantly higher compared to pre-hemodialysis, revealing a negative effect of hemodialysis on postural stability(66 Erken E, Ozelsancak R, Sahin S, Yilmaz EE, Torun D, Leblebici B, et al. The effect of hemodialysis on balance measurements and risk of fall. Int Urol Nephrol. 2016 Ago;48:1705-11. doi:10.1007/s11255-016-1388-7
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-016-1388-...
).

Falls in chronic renal patients undergoing hemodialysis are also associated with polypharmacy, frailty, advanced age and a previous history of falls(1010 Zanotto T, Mercer TH, Van der Linden ML, Traynor JP, Petrie CJ, Doyle A, et al. Baroreflex function, haemodynamic responses to an orthostatic challenge, and falls in haemodialysis patients. PLoS ONE. 2018 Dec;13(12). Available form: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208127
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.020...
). However, there are still few studies that deal with this subject exactly.

Falls are defined by the World Health Organization as inadvertently falling to the ground or at another lower level(1111 World Health Organization. Falls. [Internet]. 2018 Jan 16 [cited Jul 29, 2019]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/falls
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheet...
).

Falls can be classified as: accidental, when caused by environmental factors (such as water on the floor for example) or by loss of the patient’s balance that correspond to 14% of falls in general, anticipated physiological falls, which occur in patients classified with fall risk, that is, patients who have more than one episode of previous fall, weak or impaired pace and correspond to 78% of falls and unanticipated physiological falls, that is, those that cannot be predicted and can be associated with physiological causes such as fainting, pathological hip fractures, and correspond to 8% of falls(88 Kutner NG, Zhang R, Huang Y, Wasse H. Falls among hemodialysis patients: potential opportunities for prevention? Clin Kidney J. 2014 Jun;7:257-63. doi: 10.1093/ckj/sfu034
https://doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfu034...
-99 Polinder-Bos HA, Emmelot-Vonk MH, Gonsevoort RT, Diepenbroek A, Gaillard CAJM. High fall incidence and fracture rate in elderly dialysis patients. Neth J Med. [Internet]. 2014 Dec [cited Aug 25, 2019];72(10):509-15. Available from: http://www.njmonline.nl/getpdf.php?id=1510
http://www.njmonline.nl/getpdf.php?id=15...
,1111 World Health Organization. Falls. [Internet]. 2018 Jan 16 [cited Jul 29, 2019]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/falls
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheet...
).

Another possibility of classifying falls may also be related to complications such as: without complications, minor complications (all other complications), major complications (such as fractures) and death(88 Kutner NG, Zhang R, Huang Y, Wasse H. Falls among hemodialysis patients: potential opportunities for prevention? Clin Kidney J. 2014 Jun;7:257-63. doi: 10.1093/ckj/sfu034
https://doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfu034...
).

In individuals with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis (HD) falls can be classified as to temporality: fall on a day that does not perform HD, fall before the HD session or after the HD session(88 Kutner NG, Zhang R, Huang Y, Wasse H. Falls among hemodialysis patients: potential opportunities for prevention? Clin Kidney J. 2014 Jun;7:257-63. doi: 10.1093/ckj/sfu034
https://doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfu034...
).

The study of factors related to falls in patients undergoing hemodialysis makes it possible to identify prevention and safety promotion strategies for individuals with chronic kidney disease. Thus, the objectives of this study are to identify the risk and prevalence of falls in the last year in people with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis and to associate the risk of falling with the fear of falling and socio-demographic-clinical variables.

Method

This is a quantitative, descriptive and association study. It was carried out in a nephrology service in the city of São João da Boa Vista, in the inland of the state of São Paulo, which assists patients from the Brazilian Public Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS) and from private health plans. The study site serves approximately 230 patients on hemodialysis.

The sample size was calculated considering the score obtained using the instrument that assesses the risk of falls as a dependent variable and as a set of 13 variables as independent variables: fear of falling, gender, age, education, marital status, comorbidities, time in hemodialysis, medication use, limb amputation, difficulty walking, aid in ambulance, bone mineral disease and frailty.

To perform the sample calculation, the G*Power 3.1.9.2 software was used. The level of significance was set at 5%, test power of 80%, and medium degree effect size (0.15)(1212 Faul F, Erdfelder E, Buchner A, Lang AG. Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behav Res Methods. 2009 Nov;41:1149-60. doi: 10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149
https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149...
). Thus, the sample consisted of 131 chronic renal patients undergoing hemodialysis.

To be a participant in the research, the inclusion criteria were chronic kidney patients aged 18 years old or over on Renal Replacement Therapy, in hemodialysis modality, for more than six months.

The exclusion criteria were patients who were not self-, halo- and chrono-psychically oriented, patients on peritoneal dialysis, due to their low representativeness and monthly attendance at the service.

The research project was submitted to the Research Ethics Committee (Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa, CEP) of the University linked to the researchers. After approval opinion number 2874412/2018, the eligible patients were invited to participate in the study, being informed about the purpose and preservation of their identities. Then, after reading and signing the Free and Informed Consent Form, they became participants in the study.

Data collections were performed between November 2018 and January 2019, in the hemodialysis room, during the procedure, with the participant accommodated in the armchair. The first author of the study applied the questionnaires and the collection time varied between 10 to 20 minutes per participant.

Four instruments were used, one of socio-demographic and clinical characterization of the participants, built specifically for this study and the other three validated for Brazilian culture, the Morse Fall Scale(1313 Urbanetto JS, Creutzberg M, Franz F, Ojeda BS, Gustavo AS, Bittencourt HR, et al. Morse fall scale: translation and transcultural adaptation for the Portuguese language. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2013 Jun [cited Jul 28, 2019];47(3):569-75. doi: 10.1590/S0080-623420130000300007
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-6234201300...
), the Fall Efficacy Scale (FEI-I - Brazil)(1414 Camargos FFO, Dias RC, Dias JMD, Freire MTF. Cross-cultural adaptation and evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Falls Efficacy Scale - International Among Elderly Brazilians (FES-I-BRAZIL). Rev Bras Fisioter. 2010 May/Jun;14(3):237-43. doi: 10.1590/S1413-35552010000300010
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-3555201000...
), and the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI)(1515 Santiago LM, Luz LL, Mattos IE, Gobbens RJJ. Cross-cultural adaptation of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) for use in the Brazilian population. Cad Saúde Pública. 2012 Sep [cited Jul 28, 2019];28(9):1795-801. doi: 10.1590/S0102-311X2012000900018
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X201200...
).

The Morse Scale has the objective of identifying people at risk of anticipated physiological falls. It consists of six questions, with scores between 0 and 30, with the total sum varying between 0 and 125. The final score to determine the risk of falling is defined as ≤24 (no risk of falling), 25 to 50 (low risk of falling) and ≥51 (high risk of falling)(1313 Urbanetto JS, Creutzberg M, Franz F, Ojeda BS, Gustavo AS, Bittencourt HR, et al. Morse fall scale: translation and transcultural adaptation for the Portuguese language. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2013 Jun [cited Jul 28, 2019];47(3):569-75. doi: 10.1590/S0080-623420130000300007
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-6234201300...
-1414 Camargos FFO, Dias RC, Dias JMD, Freire MTF. Cross-cultural adaptation and evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Falls Efficacy Scale - International Among Elderly Brazilians (FES-I-BRAZIL). Rev Bras Fisioter. 2010 May/Jun;14(3):237-43. doi: 10.1590/S1413-35552010000300010
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-3555201000...
).

TheFall Efficacy Scale(FEI - I - Brazil) was used to measure the fear of falling. The instrument addresses 16 daily activities at different levels, including external activities and social participation, with the total score varying from 16 (no concern) to 64 (extreme concern)(1515 Santiago LM, Luz LL, Mattos IE, Gobbens RJJ. Cross-cultural adaptation of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) for use in the Brazilian population. Cad Saúde Pública. 2012 Sep [cited Jul 28, 2019];28(9):1795-801. doi: 10.1590/S0102-311X2012000900018
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X201200...
).

The TFI was used to measure frailty. Although the instrument is made up of two parts, only part B, which identifies the weakness itself, was used in this study. The assessment of frailty is made up of 15 objective questions, self-reported, distributed in three domains: physical, psychological and social. The final score ranges from 0 to 15 points, with the highest score meaning a higher level of frailty, or alternatively scores higher than five points indicate that the individual is frail(1616 Chowdhury N, Peel NM, Krosch M, Hubbard RE. Frailty and chronic kidney disease: a systematic review. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2017 Jan-Fev [cited Jul 28, 2019];68:135-42. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2016.10.007
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2016.1...
).

Data such as medications, comorbidities, time on hemodialysis, among others, were collected from the patients’ medical records, by the first author of the study.

To study the associations between qualitative variables, the Chi-square test was applied, and for cases where the assumptions of the Chi-square test were not met, Fisher’s exact test was applied. For the comparisons involving a qualitative variable and a quantitative variable, the Mann-Whitney non-parametric test or the unpaired Student t test was applied, according to the data distribution(1212 Faul F, Erdfelder E, Buchner A, Lang AG. Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behav Res Methods. 2009 Nov;41:1149-60. doi: 10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149
https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149...
).

In a second stage of the analysis, multiple Poisson regression models were constructed with robust variance. In the results, the estimates obtained from the prevalence ratio were presented, as well as their respective confidence intervals and p-values(1212 Faul F, Erdfelder E, Buchner A, Lang AG. Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behav Res Methods. 2009 Nov;41:1149-60. doi: 10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149
https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149...
). For all the analyses, a level of significance equal to 5% was considered.

All data were tabulated in an electronic spreadsheet and analyzed using the statistical SAS software, version 9.4.

Results

Of the 131 people who made up the sample, 52.6% were men and 47.3% women. The mean age of the participants was 56.09 years old. 55.7% of the interviewees declared having a partner, being married or in a stable relationship; 44.2% declared themselves single, widowed or divorced. The mean number of years of schooling was 7.79.

In the analysis of the comorbidities of the participants, 60.8% had an isolated diagnosis of arterial hypertension; 28% had hypertension and diabetes mellitus simultaneously; and 8.3% had an isolated diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Other comorbidities recorded to a lesser extent by the other individuals included: autoimmune disease, polycystic kidneys, heart disease, glomerulonephritis, among others.

In the period of one year, the occurrence of at least one fall was reported by 37.4% of the participants; the average number of falls was 2.02; and, a single participant reported 10 falls in the period.

Table 1 shows the relationship between the number of falls and the socio-demographic variables and comorbidities experienced by patients on hemodialysis.

Table 1
Occurrence of falls in chronic renal patients. São João da Boa Vista, SP, Brazil, 2018-2019 (n* * n = Number of patients; = 131)

According to the data collected in the application of the instrument, 93.8% of the participants with chronic kidney disease had some risk of falls, with 37.4% presenting a high risk for falls and 60.3% presenting a low risk for falls.

Table 2 shows the association between the risk of falling and the socio-demographic and clinical variables.

Table 2
Risk of falls in chronic renal failure patients. São João da Boa Vista, SP, Brazil, 2018-2019 (n* * n = Number of participants; = 131)

In the analysis of the daily activities, such as outdoor activities and social participation, in the assessment of fear of falling men were less concerned in relation to women (p<0.05). Non-amputees and non-frail individuals are also less concerned about falling when compared to amputees and frail individuals, respectively.

Diabetic and hypertensive patients did not show statistically significant differences regarding the concern with falling in relation to non-diabetic and non-hypertensive patients.

Schooling also influenced the fear of falling, so that the group of people with an average education of 8.27 years had little or no fear of falling, while the group of people with an average education of 6.04 years showed extreme fear of falling (p-value = 0.0492/Mann-Whitney test). The other associations between fear of falling and the socio-demographic and clinical variables are shown in Table 3.

Table 3
Fear of falling in chronic kidney patients. São João da Boa Vista, SP, Brazil, 2018-2019 (n* * n = Number of participants; = 131)

As shown in Table 4, the reasons for the prevalence of falls were estimated for “the occurrence of falls in the last year”, “high risk of falling” and “Very/Extremely concerned about falling” and the variables, which showed statistically significant differences for this study.

Table 4
Prevalence of falls in chronic kidney patients. São João da Boa Vista, SP, Brazil, 2018-2019 (n* * n = Number of participants; = 131)

Discussion

It was found that the individuals with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis have a high prevalence of falls, so that patients with diabetes, with difficulty or need for assistance in ambulance have a higher prevalence of falls.

In the assessment of the participants, regarding the risk of falls, it was identified that those who experienced the same clinical variables related to the high prevalence of falls, that is, people with diabetes, difficulty or need for assistance for ambulance had higher scores on the Morse scale, which represents the high risk for falls(1313 Urbanetto JS, Creutzberg M, Franz F, Ojeda BS, Gustavo AS, Bittencourt HR, et al. Morse fall scale: translation and transcultural adaptation for the Portuguese language. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2013 Jun [cited Jul 28, 2019];47(3):569-75. doi: 10.1590/S0080-623420130000300007
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-6234201300...
).

When comparing groups of chronic kidney patients who also have diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney patients who have difficulty ambulance and those who use orthoses showed a statistically significant difference in terms of the greater number of falls in relation to the other patients who did not have these characteristics.

Hypertension as a comorbidity did not influence the results so that there was no statistically significant difference, with respect to the risk and the occurrence of falls between non-hypertensive participants and normotensive participants.

In assessing the fear of falling by the scale of fall effectiveness, women had higher scores in daily activities such as outdoor activities and social participation, which denotes extreme concern (extreme fear) of falling(1414 Camargos FFO, Dias RC, Dias JMD, Freire MTF. Cross-cultural adaptation and evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Falls Efficacy Scale - International Among Elderly Brazilians (FES-I-BRAZIL). Rev Bras Fisioter. 2010 May/Jun;14(3):237-43. doi: 10.1590/S1413-35552010000300010
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-3555201000...
).

Another variable that interfered with the fear of falling was the number of years of schooling, so that patients with higher education have little or no fear of falling, while patients with less education have extreme fear of falling.

The comparison of prevalence and risk of falls among the participants classified as frail in the assessment of the physical, psychological and social domains(1515 Santiago LM, Luz LL, Mattos IE, Gobbens RJJ. Cross-cultural adaptation of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) for use in the Brazilian population. Cad Saúde Pública. 2012 Sep [cited Jul 28, 2019];28(9):1795-801. doi: 10.1590/S0102-311X2012000900018
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X201200...
) in relation to patients not classified as frail found no significant differences. This finding also diverged from the literature, where frailty, described as a highly vulnerable state for adverse clinical outcomes, has been investigated as a risk factor for falls in people with kidney diseases(1616 Chowdhury N, Peel NM, Krosch M, Hubbard RE. Frailty and chronic kidney disease: a systematic review. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2017 Jan-Fev [cited Jul 28, 2019];68:135-42. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2016.10.007
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2016.1...
).

No statistically significant differences were identified regarding the number of falls in the last year, neither the risk nor the occurrence of falls between male participants and female participants. These findings differ from those found in a systematic review that identified in other studies that women have significant numbers for falls(1616 Chowdhury N, Peel NM, Krosch M, Hubbard RE. Frailty and chronic kidney disease: a systematic review. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2017 Jan-Fev [cited Jul 28, 2019];68:135-42. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2016.10.007
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2016.1...
).

Among people with a simultaneous diagnosis of bone mineral disease, there was no statistically significant difference in the number and risk of falls in relation to participants without this comorbidity. The findings are in contrast to studies that found an increased risk of falls in people with bone mineral disease, regardless of the degree of bone remodeling, in addition to greater impairment of the physical aspects of quality of life(1717 Bezerra SD, Alves PS, Maia TO, Rocha LG, Andrade CCA, Souza HCM, et al. Risco de quedas e qualidade de vida no distúrbio mineral ósseo da doença renal: estudo transversal. Conscientiae Saúde. 2018 maio [Acesso 28 Jul 2019];17(2):196-203. doi: 10.5585/conssaude.v17n2.8209
https://doi.org/10.5585/conssaude.v17n2....
). The association with quality of life with these findings was not the scope of this study, constituting an important gap regarding the importance of other studies that assume the quality of life of people with chronic kidney disease and the occurrence of falls.

No significant differences were identified in the risk and prevalence of falls between amputated and non-amputated participants, a possible interpretation of this indifference would be that individuals who have used prostheses for long periods are adapted after the rehabilitation period.

Likewise, there was no significant difference between the occurrence and the risk of falls, between people who had a partner or not. In face of the contemporaneity of sharing the responsibilities of caring for people with chronic pathologies with close friends or family, as well as the growing presence of informal caregivers(1818 Holroyd-Leduc J, Resin J, Ashley L, Barwich D, Elliott J, Huras P, et al. Giving voice to older adults living with frailty and their caregivers: engagement of older adults living with frailty in research, health care decision making, and in health policy. Res Involv Engagem. 2016 Jun 17;2:23. doi: 10.1186/s40900-016-0038-7
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-016-0038-...

19 Hoefman RJ, Meulenkamp TM, De Jong JD. Who is responsible for providing care? Investigating the role of care tasks and past experiences in a cross-sectional survey in Netherlands. BMC Health Serv Res. 2017 Jul [cited Jul 28, 2019];17:477. doi: 10.1186/s12913-017-2435-5
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-017-2435-...
-2020 Wolff JL, Boyd CM. A look at person-centered and family-centered care among older adults: results from a national survey. J Gen Intern Med. 2015 Oct [cited Jul 28, 2019]; 30(10):1497-504. doi: 10.1007/s11606-015-3359-6
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-015-3359-...
) possibly strategies developed on a daily basis by these caregivers, may justify the absence of a relationship between the risk or number of falls and living with spouses.

In this theme, with regard to functional independence, that is, the ability to perform activities without assistance, individuals with chronic kidney disease are dependent on walking to go up and down stairs, with 10.2% of patients needing help to perform this activity; and, in relation to mobility, 18.4% of patients have some dependence(2121 Oller GASAO, Ribeiro RCHM, Travagim DSA, Batista MA, Marques S, Kusumota L. Functional Independence in patients with chronic kidney disease being treated with heamodialysis. Rev. Latino-Am. Enfermagem. 2012 Nov-Dec [cited Jul 28, 2019];20(6):1033-40. doi: 10.1590/S0104-11692012000600004
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-1169201200...
).

Given the impact that this fear of falling can have on quality of life by limiting activities of daily living and social activities to women and people with less education, specific support strategies for these people with chronic kidney disease arise, which can be performed by family, caregivers, nursing and interdisciplinary staff.

The contribution of this study carried out with the participation of people with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis was to identify the high prevalence of falls in this very specific population, which should be treated with international standards of care and prevention of falls, both during hemodialysis sessions, and in the adoption of strategies to prevent falls in the activities of daily living of these people.

A study is suggested that contemplates the involvement of family members in the care and quality of life of people with chronic kidney disease and the occurrence of falls.

The limitations of the study were that it was conducted in a single nephrology center, which limits the generalization of the results, and the absence of a specific instrument to assess the risk of falls of chronic renal patients on hemodialysis.

Conclusion

There was a high risk and high prevalence of falls in individuals with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis. The extreme fear of falling has been identified especially in women. In addition, related factors such as diabetes, difficulty or need for ambulance assistance increased the occurrences of falls.

The analysis of the risk and the prevalence of falls, as well as other conditions that interfere in the quality of life of people with chronic kidney disease, challenge the specialized nursing to update itself and deal with standards of excellence in care and prevention of falls, both during hemodialysis sessions, as well as the adoption of educational and fall prevention strategies in the activities of daily living of these individuals and their families.

  • *
    Paper extracted from master´s thesis “Risk of falls in chronic renal patients on hemodialysis and its related factors”, presented to Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Enfermagem, Campinas, SP, Brazil.

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    Hoefman RJ, Meulenkamp TM, De Jong JD. Who is responsible for providing care? Investigating the role of care tasks and past experiences in a cross-sectional survey in Netherlands. BMC Health Serv Res. 2017 Jul [cited Jul 28, 2019];17:477. doi: 10.1186/s12913-017-2435-5
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    Wolff JL, Boyd CM. A look at person-centered and family-centered care among older adults: results from a national survey. J Gen Intern Med. 2015 Oct [cited Jul 28, 2019]; 30(10):1497-504. doi: 10.1007/s11606-015-3359-6
    » https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-015-3359-6
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    Oller GASAO, Ribeiro RCHM, Travagim DSA, Batista MA, Marques S, Kusumota L. Functional Independence in patients with chronic kidney disease being treated with heamodialysis. Rev. Latino-Am. Enfermagem. 2012 Nov-Dec [cited Jul 28, 2019];20(6):1033-40. doi: 10.1590/S0104-11692012000600004
    » https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692012000600004

Edited by

Associate Editor: Maria Lúcia do Carmo Cruz Robazzi

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    08 June 2020
  • Date of issue
    2020

History

  • Received
    19 Sept 2019
  • Accepted
    08 Mar 2020
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E-mail: rlae@eerp.usp.br