Beneficial falls in stroke patients: evaluation using a mixed method design

AbstractPurposeTo use a mixed method design to evaluate how clinicians judge falls in stroke patients as a beneficial event, and to identify patient-specific characteristics associated with beneficial falls.MethodsThe definition of beneficial falls was based on interviews with six experienced clinicians in stroke rehabilitation. Interview data were analyzed using the grounded theory approach, with outcomes used to develop a checklist to judge falls as beneficial. We subsequently used the checklist to identify falls sustained by patients in our rehabilitation unit as beneficial events. The characteristics of beneficial fallers were investigated in this retrospective study.ResultsAccording to experienced clinicians, beneficial falls result from patient-specific factors and level of independence. Beneficial falls are not associated with after-effects or a diagnosis of cognitive impairment, do not result in physical injury and post-fall syndrome, and do not alter the course of rehabilitation. These falls are ...