Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026
Using Motion Capture Technology in the Instrumented Timed Up and Go Test to Detect the Risk of Falling in Aged Adults
Published on: October 25, 2024
The Timed Up and Go Test: unable to predict falls on the acute medical ward
Robyn Lindsay1, Erica L James, Sandra Kippen
1Department of Physiotherapy, Bendigo Health Care Group, Bendigo, VIC, 3552, Australia. rlindsay@bendigohealth.org.au
Abstract:
Prevention of falls amongst older people is a high priority in health care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of the Timed Up and Go Test to predict those older people who will fall whilst admitted to an acute hospital. The medical records of 160 older patients who were admitted to the medical ward of a large regional hospital were accessed retrospectively. The Timed Up and Go Test, used in isolation, was unable to identify those patients who were likely to fall. However the co-morbidity of incontinence was identified as a falls risk factor (OR = 8.7, p = 0.001). The Timed Up and Go Test alone does not possess predictive validity for acutely unwell older patients. It is therefore recommended that it not be used to identify those people who may fall.
