Development of the Falls Risk for Older People in the Community (FROP-Com) screening tool*
1 National Ageing Research Institute, Preventive and Public Health Division, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3095, Australia
2 University of Melbourne, Centre for Molecular, Environmental, Genetic and Analytic Epidemiology, Melbourne 3095, Australia
3 Faculty of Health Sciences, LaTrobe University and Northern Hospital, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia
4 Monash University Accident Research Centre, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
Address correspondence to: Melissa A. Russell. Tel: (+61) 3 83872200; Fax: (+61) 3 83872153. Email: m.russell{at}nari.unimelb.edu.au
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.
Keywords: accidental falls, aged, geriatric assessment, risk factors, elderly
*This research was undertaken at the Preventive and Public Health Division, National Ageing Research Institute, Poplar Rd, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia.
Received 18 November 2007; accepted in revised form 10 July 2008.