Assessment of Fall Risk in Oncology Patients: A Scale Development Study.
Sibel Serçe, Soner Berşe, Özlem Ovayolu and 1 others
PMID 41867144WHAT IT FOUND
A new 19-item checklist for cancer patients lists chemotherapy balance problems, dizziness, drowsiness, four or more medications, bone metastasis and home hazards.
It has not been tested for predicting future falls.
Key findings
01The final scale has 19 items, and total scores range from 19 to 38, with higher scores indicating increased fall risk.
02The scale had a KR-20 value of 0.964, and its single dimension explained 79.34% of the variance.
03Criterion validity against an established fall risk scale and predictive validity for future falls were not assessed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in one university hospital, so the scale may not behave the same in other oncology settings or patient groups. The scale was not compared with an established fall risk scale, so its criterion validity is unknown. Patients were not followed over time to see whether higher scores predicted actual falls, so the study does not show fall prediction or prevention. Model fit was borderline, with some fit indices outside ideal ranges. The pilot group was used only for item clarity and internal consistency, not for construct validity.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and reported no funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the scale predicts falls or improves safety. The study did not compare it with an established fall risk scale and did not follow patients over time to see whether higher scores led to more falls.