Valagenda

Abstract

The Valagenda is a 25-item questionnaire designed to meticulously record and analyze fall incidents, primarily used within clinical populations, such as those with Parkinson’s Disease. It is structured into three main sections focusing on the circumstances surrounding a fall: prior to the event, during the fall itself, and the consequences immediately following the event.

The central purpose is to gain detailed insight into the patient’s fall frequency, the specific conditions under which these incidents occur, and their possible underlying causes. It is crucial to note that the Valagenda does not yield a single, overall score indicative of general fall risk, distinguishing it from predictive scales. It is intended to be completed by the patient in conjunction with their partner or caregiver.

Keywords

Fall Incident, Fall Frequency, Parkinson’s Disease, Circumstances of Falling, Older Adults, Caregiver, Clinical Assessment, Geriatrics, Incident Reporting, KNGF Guideline.

Authors

Keus SHJ, et al. (2004). The version currently available and widely utilized in clinical practice is derived from the official KNGF-guideline for Parkinson’s Disease (2016).

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Valagenda is to provide detailed, descriptive insight into the mechanism and context of fall incidents. Clinicians use this tool to systematically determine the patient’s fall frequency and establish the environmental and physical circumstances surrounding these events, facilitating accurate retrospective analysis.

By systematically recording information across the three temporal phases (before, during, and after a fall), the scale allows healthcare professionals to identify specific, modifiable risk factors and potential causes of falling. This detailed data collection is paramount for developing targeted intervention strategies and improving rehabilitation outcomes, particularly in populations vulnerable to recurrent falling, such as patients with neurological impairments.

Construct

The Valagenda is not designed to measure a latent psychological or psychometric trait, such as fear of falling or balance confidence. Instead, its primary construct is the detailed, multidimensional phenomenology of the fall incident itself. It operationalizes a fall as an event with distinct temporal phases: antecedent circumstances, the dynamics of the event, and the immediate aftermath.

This methodology focuses on mapping objective external factors (environmental conditions, time of day) and subjective internal factors (physical state, activity level, symptoms) that contribute to the occurrence and characteristics of the fall. The resulting documentation provides a rich profile of the patient’s falling behavior necessary for clinical diagnosis and intervention planning.

Validity

While specific psychometric validation studies detailing criteria such as concurrent or predictive validity are often published separately from the instrument description, the inclusion of the Valagenda within the authoritative Dutch KNGF-guideline for Parkinson’s Disease (2016) strongly suggests established clinical utility and face validity within the field of physical therapy and neurological rehabilitation.

The structure of the questionnaire, which meticulously covers all relevant phases of a fall incident, ensures high content validity. It is designed by experts to capture all crucial variables necessary for informed clinical decision-making regarding fall prevention and the subsequent adjustment of therapeutic regimens.

Reliability

The reliability of the Valagenda largely depends on the accuracy and consistency of reporting by the patient and the accompanying caregiver or partner. As a retrospective or concurrent diary, memory bias is a potential factor influencing the stability of the reported data over time.

In clinical settings, the requirement that the scale be jointly completed by the patient and the caregiver aims to enhance inter-rater reliability by combining perspectives and reducing reliance on a single individual’s potentially incomplete or biased recollection of the often-distressing fall event.

Factor Analysis

As the Valagenda functions primarily as a descriptive incident diary aimed at structured clinical assessment rather than a psychometric scale measuring an underlying factor structure, formal exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis is typically not performed or reported.

The organization of the 25 items into three inherent structural parts—pre-fall, peri-fall, and post-fall circumstances—serves as a set of logical, clinically defined domains rather than statistically derived factors. The analysis focuses on frequency distribution across these domains, not dimensional reduction.

Instrument

Test Type: Vragenlijst (Questionnaire / Incident Diary)

Format: 25 items, structured into three distinct parts. Utilizes a combined self-report and collateral report methodology.

Language Available: Dutch (Original language).

Population Group: Clinical populations at high risk of falling, including older adults and general adult populations with underlying neurological conditions.

Age Group: Adults and Older Adults (Geriatric population).

Population Details: Primarily employed in patients diagnosed with conditions affecting balance and motor control, most notably Parkinson’s Disease, and other nervous system and sensory disorders.

Test Methodology: The scale must be completed collaboratively by the patient and their partner or caregiver/supervisor to ensure comprehensive and accurate documentation of the fall event and associated circumstances.

Keywords

Geriatrics, Neurology, Fall Risk Assessment, Clinical Diary, KNGF Guideline, Motor Control, Incident Reporting, Rehabilitation, Balance, Mobility.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original conceptualization of the Valagenda dates back to Keus SHJ, et al. (2004). The standardized, currently utilized version is derived from the KNGF-guideline for Parkinson’s Disease, published in 2016.

As the scale is incorporated into a national clinical guideline, information regarding specific licensing fees or permissions for widespread clinical use should be sought directly from the KNGF (Koninklijk Nederlands Genootschap voor Fysiotherapie) or the official publisher of the guideline.

Reference’s

Keus SHJ, et al. (2004). Original publication source not specified in the instrument description.

KNGF-richtlijn Ziekte van Parkinson (2016). Koninklijk Nederlands Genootschap voor Fysiotherapie (Royal Dutch Society for Physical Therapy) Guideline for Parkinson’s Disease.

The original Explanation Form (Toelichtingsformulier) can be downloaded here: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/wp-content/uploads/instrumenten/124_1_N.pdf

The Measurement Instrument (Meetinstrument) itself can be downloaded here: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/wp-content/uploads/instrumenten/124_3_N.pdf

Items of the Valagenda

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The source content indicates that the Valagenda consists of 25 items distributed across three primary sections designed to document the fall incident. These sections cover:

• De omstandigheden voorafgaand aan de val (The circumstances prior to the fall).
• De omstandigheden tijdens de val (The circumstances during the fall).
• De omstandigheden na afloop van de val (The circumstances immediately following the fall).

The specific text of the 25 individual items was not included in the provided source material.