Development of a new self-awareness of falls risk measure (SAFRM)

Research suggests that some older individuals may lack awareness of personal falls risk; however, there is no validated scale to measure self-awareness (SA) of falls risk in this population. Therefore, the objective of this study is to describe the development and psychometric evaluation of a new three part (intellectual, emergent, and anticipatory) SAFRM to be used in the older population undergoing inpatient rehabilitation. The SAFRM underwent a comprehensive scale development process. Ninety-one participants aged over 60 years were recruited from rehabilitation wards with their treating physiotherapist and occupational therapist. The results indicated a three factor structure of the scale corresponding to the theoretically developed intellectual, emergent and anticipatory SA sections which explained 50.26% of variance. The SAFRM demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α=.86-.92), inter-rater reliability between clinicians (ICC=.61-.87), and convergent validity with an SA interview (rs=.31-.50). The SAFRM scores were significantly correlated with clinician-rated SA (rs=-.40 to -.63) providing evidence of ecological validity. The present study provides initial empirical support of the reliability and validity of the SAFRM for assessment of SA of falls risk in the older inpatient population. The availability of this measure will allow further investigation into the causes and consequences of reduced SA in the older population.