Validating a multifactorial falls risk assessment.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Healthcare Safety

Background:

• Reducing fall risk is a national patient safety goal.
• Homebound older adults are vulnerable to falls.
• Existing fall risk assessments require validation for home care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if the total score of a multifactorial Falls Risk Assessment (FRA) predicts falls in homebound clients.
• To examine if individual FRA items have predictive power for fall incidence.
• To inform fall prevention strategies in home care.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of 125 home care clients (≥65 years old).
• Included clients who fell (n=100) and did not fall (n=25).
• Analyzed FRA total scores, individual item scores, demographics, and physical therapy evaluations using regression and t-tests.

Main Results:

• The total FRA score strongly correlated with fall incidence.
• Clients who fell had significantly higher average FRA scores than those who did not fall.
• No single assessment item was highly predictive of falls.

Conclusions:

• The multifactorial Falls Risk Assessment total score is a reliable predictor of falls in homebound clients.
• Fall prevention requires a comprehensive, multipronged approach addressing multiple risk factors.
• Caregivers and providers should utilize the full assessment to guide interventions.