Our search strategy identified one systematic review on the topic
of falls prevention after stroke. Batchelor 2010 included 13 studies
and their results are in agreement with those of this review.
They also found that the only intervention shown to be effective
in reducing falls was vitamin D for institutionalised women after
stroke with low vitamin D levels (Sato 2005a). However, there is
a discrepancy between the studies included in Batchelor 2010 and
our review. In Batchelor 2010, the type of interventions included
were all those that may affect falls outcome. On that basis, they
also included trials in which falls were classified as an adverseevent.
Their review therefore contains six trials that we have excluded
from our review, because we applied the stricter inclusion criterion
that interventions had to be aimed at preventing falls. This is an
important distinction. Trials evaluating interventions such as very
early mobilisation after stroke or early supported discharge include
falls as an outcome. However, the aim of these interventions is
not to prevent falls but to improve functional outcome. Because
(very) early mobilisation or early supported discharge might be associated
with an increase in falls, they are included as an outcome
measure. We believe that a stricter approach, i.e. including only
trials where the aim was to prevent falls, is justified, as otherwise
study hypotheses are mixed and results become difficult to interpret.