Characteristics of the Downton fall risk assessment scale in hospitalised patients

To describe the risk of falls assessments properties and profiles of the patients who fell in a public hospital of the National Health System, and to determine the relationship between the "presence of a fall" and the previous score using the Downton scale, in order to calculate some of the features of this tool: Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, likelihood ratio, and odss ratio.

A study with a descriptive retrospective design was conducted on the incidence of falls recorded in Cartagena Hospital. An analysis was made of possible causes and effects of falls during the period from March 2010 to March 2015. A total of 576 patients fell during the period of the study, of whom 107 were recorded in the no "fall risk" registry, leaving a sample of 469 patients in the study. Data analysis was performed using the SPSSv.19 Statistics Package.

In the context in which the assessment was made, the Downton scale had a sensitivity of 0.58, specificity 0.62, a positive likelihood ratio of 1.55, and negative likelihood ratio of 0.67. The odds ratio calculated was 2.31.

The data on the incidence of falls (0.51%) are similar to those found in other studies. Poor scores obtained on the Downton Index should serve as a wakeup call for the healthcare institutions. An assessment tool that classifies the at-risk patient should be included in patient safety profiles, provided it is of relevant validity to cover any changes in the patient's situation, and acts as a better yardstick than the nurses' own assessment.