Local adaptation and evaluation of a falls risk prevention approach in acute hospitals

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether locally adapting a falls risk factor assessment tool results in an instrument with clinimetric properties sufficient to support an acute hospital's falls prevention program. Design: Prospective cohort study of predictive validity and observational investigation of intra- and inter-rater reliability. Setting: Acute wards in two large hospitals in Melbourne, Australia. Participants: One hundred and thirty acute hospital inpatients participated in the predictive accuracy evaluation, with 25 and 35 inpatients used for the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability analyses, respectively. Intervention(s): To develop a falls risk screen and assessment instrument throug..