The Impact of Physical Performance and Fear of Falling on Fall Risk in Hemodialysis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the impact of physical performance and fear of falling on fall risk in patients with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis. Methods: This study included 132 patients who regularly received hemodialysis treatment at outpatient clinics in B City from January to April 2022. Data were collected on demographic and clinical characteristics, physical performance (the Short Physical Performance Battery [SPPB]), fear of falling (the Korean Falls Efficacy Scale-International [KFES-I]), and fall risk (the Morse Fall Scale [MFS]). The collected data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression in the SPSS/WIN 25.0 program. Results: Thirty-eight patients (28.8%) had experienced accidental falls in the past year, with an average of 1.68 falls per patient. The average SPPB score was 7.89±3.55 (range, 0 to 12), the KFES-I score was 23.18±9.36 (range, 16 to 64), and the MFS score was 45.68±19.52 (range, 0 to 125). Fall risk showed a significant negative correlation with physical function (r=-.72, p<.001) and a significant positive correlation with fear of falling (r=.65, p<.001). Factors affecting the patients fall risk included the level of serum intact parathyroid hormone (β=.15, p=.004), fear of falling (β=.24, p=.010), number of falls (β=.34, p<.001), and physical performance (β=-.41, p<.001). The regression model was statistically significant (F=22.71, p<.001), with an explanatory power of 64.9%. Conclusion: To prevent accidental falls in ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment, it is necessary to develop and apply interventions that can enhance physical performance and reduce the fear of falling.