BACKGROUND: the aim of this study was to develop a brief screening tool for use in the emergency department (ED), to identify people who require further assessment and management. METHODS: this prospective study included 344 community-dwelling older people presenting to an ED after a fall. After direct discharge participants had a home-based assessment performed that included the Falls Risk for Older People in the Community (FROP-Com), a comprehensive, yet simple, multifactorial falls risk assessment tool. They were then monitored for falls for 12 months. The items from the FROP-Com assessment tool predictive of falls in a multifactorial logistic regression were used to develop the FROP-Com screen. RESULTS: the items significantly predictive of falls and combined to form the FROP-Com screen were: falls in the previous 12 months, observation of the person's balance and the need for assistance to perform domestic activities of daily living. At the cut-off with the highest Youden index sensitivity was 67.1% (95% CI 59.9-74.3) and specificity was 66.7% (95% CI 59.8-73.6). CONCLUSION: the FROP-Com screen has a relatively good capacity to predict falls. It can be used in time-limited situations to classify those at high risk of falls who require more detailed assessment and management.
BACKGROUND: the aim of this study was to develop a brief screening tool for use in the emergency department (ED), to identify people who require further assessment and management. METHODS: this prospective study included 344 community-dwelling older people presenting to an ED after a fall. After direct discharge participants had a home-based assessment performed that included the Falls Risk for Older People in the Community (FROP-Com), a comprehensive, yet simple, multifactorial falls risk assessment tool. They were then monitored for falls for 12 months. The items from the FROP-Com assessment tool predictive of falls in a multifactorial logistic regression were used to develop the FROP-Com screen. RESULTS: the items significantly predictive of falls and combined to form the FROP-Com screen were: falls in the previous 12 months, observation of the person's balance and the need for assistance to perform domestic activities of daily living. At the cut-off with the highest Youden index sensitivity was 67.1% (95% CI 59.9-74.3) and specificity was 66.7% (95% CI 59.8-73.6). CONCLUSION: the FROP-Com screen has a relatively good capacity to predict falls. It can be used in time-limited situations to classify those at high risk of falls who require more detailed assessment and management.
Authors: Christopher R Carpenter; Manish N Shah; Fredric M Hustey; Kennon Heard; Lowell W Gerson; Douglas K Miller Journal: J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci Date: 2011-04-17 Impact factor: 6.053
Authors: Alexander Bennett; Danijela Gnjidic; Mark Gillett; Peter Carroll; Slade Matthews; Kristina Johnell; Johan Fastbom; Sarah Hilmer Journal: Drugs Aging Date: 2014-03 Impact factor: 3.923
Authors: Christopher R Carpenter; Michael S Avidan; Tanya Wildes; Susan Stark; Susan A Fowler; Alexander X Lo Journal: Acad Emerg Med Date: 2014-10-07 Impact factor: 3.451
Authors: Betty Haralambous; Terry P Haines; Keith Hill; Kirsten Moore; Jennifer Nitz; Andrew Robinson Journal: BMC Geriatr Date: 2010-02-17 Impact factor: 3.921
Authors: Erin Cecins; Kylie Hill; Dennis R Taaffe; David Manners; Anne-Marie Hill; Robert U Newton; Daniel A Galvão; Vinicius Cavalheri Journal: Pilot Feasibility Stud Date: 2021-08-03