Development of the Home Fall Hazard Checklist

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Occupational Safety

Background:

• Home hazard assessment is crucial for preventing secondary fractures after an initial injury.
• Existing assessment tools may lack usability or comprehensiveness for self-administration.
• Identifying environmental risks is key to fall prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate existing home hazard checklists and evidence.
• To develop a usable, self-administered checklist for home fall hazard assessment.
• To create a tool for individuals, family members, or caregivers to identify risks.

Main Methods:

• A literature review identified causes of falls related to home hazards.
• A draft checklist was created based on reviewed literature and expert input.
• Nine community-dwelling adults pilot-tested the checklist, providing feedback for refinement.

Main Results:

• The final checklist comprises 74 items organized into 10 distinct areas.
• The average completion time for the home walk-through using the checklist was 10 minutes.
• Modifications improved checklist usability, readability, and reduced redundancy.

Conclusions:

• A new Fall Hazard-Home Checklist was developed for identifying home fall risks.
• The checklist is designed for self-report or walk-through administration by patients or caregivers.
• Further investigation into the validity of this self-administered assessment method is warranted.