Introduction
The article “Effectiveness of a home-based fitness program on decreasing falls in older persons: a randomized controlled trial” by Chen et al., (2018) is an example of an important quantitative research study that focuses on falls in older adults. The primary purpose of the research was to investigate whether or not senior citizens would gain any advantages from taking part in a fitness routine that could be carried out in the comfort of their own homes.
Aim of the Study
The key focus of the study was to reduce the overall number of falls that senior citizens experience. The study belongs to the third level in terms of reliability and risk of bias because the evidence was obtained in well-designed controlled trials without randomization. The steps of the study are clearly marked, the scientists have depicted a sequence of actions carried out and built a logical order of events. Moreover, the process of the steps is distinctly described, allowing the reader to understand the reasons for the actions and their results.
The Sample Size and a Power Analysis
The sample size of 201 is sufficient for the purpose of carrying out a randomized controlled trial, even though a power analysis was not included in the section that discussed the techniques. Despite the fact that a power analysis was not reported in the part that discussed the procedures, this is still the case. There were a total of 201 elderly people who took part in the research study, with 100 of them being assigned to the intervention group and 101 of them being assigned to the control group.
Measurements
The article provides a comprehensive account of the procedures that were used in the construction of the instruments, as well as the tests that were carried out to validate and affirm the dependability of the instruments. Measurements of the main variables are valid and reliable because they are complete, and have contributed to relevant and relatively complete explanations. When a measurement was repeatedly applied, the same item received the same value and there were no electoral errors in the measurement.
Data Analysis
In order to carry out an analysis of the data, a number of statistical methods, including chi-square tests, t-tests, and logistic regression, were used. After dissecting the thinking that led to these procedures, a significance level of 0.05 was agreed upon as the very minimum need for statistical analysis (Chen et al., 2018). Postintervention between group differences were analyzed by covariance (ANCOVA) with baseline values as the covariate for variables with normal distributions. The analyses used two-sided tests, and p values equal or less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant (Chen et al., 2018). All methods used are described sequentially and have a reason for application mentioned after the name of the method.
Untoward Events and Previous Search
During the whole course of the inquiry, neither negative incidences nor voluntary withdrawals from the study were recorded. Both of these possibilities did not materialize into actual events. The findings of this study are consistent with the findings that were obtained by other researchers via their investigations on the same issue. The observations are congruent with the growing literature demonstrating a positive benefit of exercise in persons with multiple sclerosis. Moreover, the discussion confirms the existing relationship between exercise and fall prevention, and that a home exercise program helps reduce falls and fall-related injuries in older adults. This hypothesis was advanced in the literature review at the beginning of the study, indicating that some studies on this topic point to a strong interdependence between exercise and falls.
Clinical Practice
The findings of the research have important repercussions for clinical practice because they imply that exercise programs that may be done at home serve as an effective intervention for lowering the number of falls that older person experience. They establish the possibility of developing an exercise program that reduces the incidence of falls. It is essential to point out that the research was carried out with a particular group and location; hence, the findings may not be extrapolated to other populations or circumstances.
Rapid Appraisal Questions
A randomized controlled trial was employed as the research strategy in this study to investigate whether or not an intervention (in this case, a home-based fitness program) helps minimize the risk of falls among the elderly. It was claimed that the participants were older adults at risk for falling; however, the inclusion/exclusion criteria were not mentioned in the paper. The transferability of the intervention, a fitness routine that can be done at home, needs to be investigated in the essay, even though it offers a detailed explanation of the intervention. Accidental falls experienced by older people are a valid outcome measure for the research issue being investigated in this study. The article acknowledges the potential clinical impact of the study by noting that the results suggest that home-based exercise programs can effectively reduce falls in older adults. It can have implications for clinical practice because promoting exercise as a fall prevention strategy for older adults would benefit patients if it is implemented.
Conclusion
Overall, the results of the study suggest that improved balance contributes to a lower risk of falls. The study is reliable and valid, and the methodology used thoroughly meets the goals of the investigation. Furthermore, the researchers were able to meet their objectives, and the multistage analysis of the data resulted in reliable conclusions with implications for clinical practice. No adverse events or drop-outs occurred; therefore, the results are successful and accurate.
Reference
Chen, W., Huang, Y., Wang, Y., & Chen, W. (2018). Effectiveness of a home-based exercise program on reducing falls in older adults: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, 41(4), 164–170.