Velocidade da marcha: o sexto sinal vital como preditor de desfechos em saúde

As with respiratory rate, heart rate, temperature, pain and heat, known as vital signs, gait speed may be an indicator capable of predicting future events and reflecting on various underlying physiological processes, being recognized by various authors as the sixth vital sign. The purpose of this study was to verify in the literature the applications of the sixth vital sign in clinical practice, its perspectives and its importance as a health outcome. This is a narrative review of the literature that seeks to address recent research on the sixth vital sign and its importance in clinical practice. The search for articles included search in electronic databases and manual search of citations in the publications initially identified, covering the period from 1998 to 2018. The present study demonstrates important gait speed properties for clinical use, so that it can be easily measured, interpreted and modified. It is noteworthy that, like other vital signs, gait speed is a simple assessment that provides a wealth of information about the underlying physiological processes and can predict important health outcomes. Thus, the sixth vital sign must be incorporated as a screening tool in all assessments, in order to guide clinical decision-making and identify those who need specialized intervention and follow-up.