Use of the Berg Scale to Measure the Risk of Falls in the Elderly in Primary Health Care

Abstract

Objective. To identify the use of the Brazilian version of the Berg-BSE Balance Scale, as a feasible means to measure the individual risk of falls in the elderly in Primary Care Health. method. Revision integrative gives literature, carried out us months in March The June 2021, through the Virtual Health Library, in the Medical Literature Analyzes and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS) and PUBMED databases, bringing together national and international studies on the use of postural balance scales with the elderly in the context of fall prevention. The studies were selected according to the PRISMA protocol. Results. Twenty-five texts were selected for the Onscreen Review essay: 13 cross-sectional and three longitudinal studies. In addition to these, seven clinical trials, one case-control and a descriptive analysis were registered. Most cross-sectional studies considered that a limitation was the fact that there was not a single instrument capable of evaluating, at the same time, the body balance of the elderly and their muscle strength. The Berg Scale was used by several professionals in Primary Care and Secondary Care, and we were interested in its use as a instrument to identify the condition of functional balance in healthy elderly people. Conclusion. The Berg Scale is a feasible instrument in Primary Health Care, which must be included in the scope of procedures aimed at the care of the elderly, understanding that the instrument will help in the indication of appropriate actions to prevent falls and improve the population's autonomy old woman.