Objective: To determine if people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are able to estimate their gait speed relative to a threshold speed of 1.1 m/s.

Background: The 3-step clinical prediction tool for falls¹ is used by healthcare professionals to calculate fall risk in people with PD². The tool evaluates three key risk factors: self-reported history of falls in the last 12 months (yes/no), self-reported history of freezing of gait in the last month (yes/no), and gait speed. Gait speed is measured by the healthcare professional to determine whether it is below the threshold speed of 1.1 m/s (yes/no). If people with PD can self-assess their gait speed, then the 3-step clinical prediction tool may be extended for use as a self-assessment tool and enhance self-management. 

Methods: Participants were cognitively-intact, community dwelling adults with PD. Two measures of gait speed estimation were taken: (1) participants answered a question about their gait speed with reference to the gait speed of other people their age without PD; (2) participants watched a reference video of people walking at 1.1 m/s and indicated their estimated speed on a visual analogue scale. Actual gait speed was measured over 4 m for comparison with the two estimates.

Results: Thirty adults [mean age 69 (SD 8) years, 63% male] participated. Relative to the 1.1 m/s threshold, 24 (80%) correctly estimated their gait speed using the walking question; 23 (77%) correctly estimated after viewing the video reference.

Conclusions: Most people with PD were able to accurately estimate their gait speed relative to a threshold of 1.1 m/s in response to a reference question or a reference video. The question appeared to be as accurate as the video estimation method and, due to its simplicity to administer, would be a suitable estimation method. Therefore, there is potential for the use of the 3-step clinical prediction tool for falls as a self-assessment measure for cognitively-intact people with PD.

References: 1. Paul SS, Canning CG, Sherrington C, Lord SR, Close JCT, Fung VSC. Three simple steps to accurately predict falls in people with Parkinson’s disease.  Movement Disorders 2013;28:655-662.

2. Keus SHJ, Munneke M, Graziano M et al. European Physiotherapy Guideline for Parkinson’s disease. 2014; KNGF/ParkinsonNet, the Netherlands.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-3-step-clinical-prediction-tool-for-falls-in-parkinsons-disease-can-it-be-used-as-a-self-assessment-measure/