Postural control and fear of falling assessment in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review of instruments, international classification of functioning, disability and health linkage, and measurement properties.

OBJECTIVES

To systematically review the instruments used to assess postural control and fear of falling in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to synthesize and evaluate their breadth of content and measurement properties.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, PEDro, and OTSeeker databases searched in September 2012.

STUDY SELECTION

Two independent reviewers performed the selection of articles, the ICF linking process and quality assessment. Only quantitative studies were included, irrespective of language or publication date.

DATA EXTRACTION

This systematic review comprised two phases. Phase 1 aimed to identify the commonly used instruments to assess postural control and fear of falling in the COPD literature. The breadth of content of each instrument was examined based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). In phase 2, a measurement property search filter was adopted and used in four electronic databases to retrieve properties reported in the COPD population. The COSMIN checklist was used to assess the methodological quality of each measurement property reported.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Seventeen out of 401 publications were eligible in phase 1. Seventeen instruments were identified including 15 for postural control and 2 for fear of falling assessment. The Berg Balance Scale, the Short Physical Performance Battery, and the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale were the most frequently used instruments to assess postural control and fear of falling respectively. The ICF categories covered varied considerably among instruments. The Balance Evaluation Systems test and ABC presented the greatest breadth of content. Measurement properties reported included criterion predictive validity (4 instruments), construct validity (11 instruments) and responsiveness (1 instrument), with inconsistent findings based on 'fair' and 'poor' quality studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Different instruments with heterogeneous content have been used to assess postural control and fear of falling outcomes. Standardized assessment methods and best evidence on measurement properties is required in the COPD literature.