Association between self-reported or perceived fatigue and falls among older people: a systematic review

Abstract Aim The aim of the present review has been to examine the evidence of the relationship between self-reported or perceived fatigue and falls among older adults. Methods A systematic review, following the PRISMA recommendations, was performed. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cinahl were searched from February 2021 until March 2021, without any limitation on publication date. The methodological quality of the recruited studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results Of the 2.296 initially retrieved records, 20 met the inclusion criteria, 11 cohort and 9 cross-sectional studies. They are classified as “good or very good” studies. Data on 59.852 older adults was presented. Most studies reported a strong association between fatigue and incidence or risk of falls, with odds ratio ranging from 1.04 to 3.53. Evidence on the relationship between fatigue and recurrent, as well as injurious falls, is limited. Conclusions Self-reported or perceived fatigue is associated with the rate of falls or risk of falling among older adults. Nurses could contribute to the decrease of falls through prevention and proper geriatric assessment, including the management of fatigue in their daily clinical practice. The evidence on potential effect of fatigue on the falls-related injuries is inconclusive and on recurrent falls remains to be further defined.