Falls in adults with cerebral palsy; a scoping review of impacts, management and prevention

People with lifelong impairments caused by cerebral palsy (CP) experience of fatigue, changes in bodily structures and reduced balance, leading to risk of falling. The chance of falling with CP is 5 times higher than for people without CP. Over half of people with CP can walk independently as children but start losing walking ability in adulthood. Although policies in UK state that rehabilitation for adults with CP should be a high priority, there is a significant increase in unmet need among this population as they age. There is no published review of falls prevention, risks and management for adults with CP. We will complete a scoping review of qualitative, quantitative and mixed method international empirical research and grey literature on falls prevention and management among adults with CP. The review will address: - What is the social, physical and psychological impact of falls? - What strategies and interventions are used to prevent falls, manage recovery, concern about falling (CaF or fear of falling) and impact. - What rehabilitation interventions have been developed and tested to manage falls for adults with cerebral palsy? The review will be conducted following the guidance of Joanna Briggs Institute, and reported according to the PRISMA-ScR; Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. Drawing on Arksey and O’Malley’s interpretative method for scoping review, our analysis will describe and develop various concepts and views about falls, including how this relates to concern or fear of falling, independence and mobility. The scoping review findings will inform the draft of a falls prevention intervention for AwCP and participatory methods within the proposed programme. Keywords Falls, falling, fear of falling, concern about falls, cerebral palsy, adults with cerebral palsy, balance, independence