Safety Predictors in Performance of Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Background: Safety is recognized as an important factor in personal independence. The aim of this study was to determine the association of factors, such as fatigue, duration of disease, age, dominant involved body side, gender, and severity of disease with safety performance and to identify safety predictors among effective factors for activities of daily living (ADL) among patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: Sixty patients with PD participated in this study. Fatigue was assessed using the 16-item Parkinson fatigue scale (PFS-16), while performance safety was examined with the performance assessment of self-care skills (PASS). Linear multiple regression analysis was performed between PASS safety parameter as the dependent variable and independent variables with significant correlations with performance safety, using SPSS version 18. Results: A significant relationship was observed between ADL safety and fatigue (r = 0.557; P < 0.001), disease severity (r = 0.558; P≤ -0.001), and age (r = -0.636; P < 0.001). Performance safety in physical and cognitive instrumental ADL showed the most significant correlation with fatigue severity. The stepwise multiple linear regression model revealed that age (F(1, 58), 39.32; P < 0.001) with an R2 of 0.64 could predict safety in ADL performance. Conclusions: Age, fatigue severity, and disease are predictors of performance safety in ADL among patients with PD. For implementing more effective interventions on safe ADL performance, rehabilitation teams should conduct more detailed safety assessments with a special focus on the effects of fatigue, aging, and disease severity on the performance of each activity.