Interobserver analysis of safety practices and behaviors adopted by elderly people to prevent falls.
Cristina Rosa Soares Lavareda Baixinho, Maria Dos Anjos Coelho Rodrigues Dixe, Carla Madeira and 2 others
PMID 32491125WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses observing 102 residents with cognitive decline found generally good fall-safety habits.
The 11-item observation tool gave consistent ratings for practices, but the habits did not predict whether residents had fallen in the previous year.
Key findings
01The 11-item scale was internally consistent (Cronbach's alpha = 0.895) and very stable over one week (Pearson r = 0.936).
02Interobserver agreement for testable items ranged from 0.369 to 0.922, with excellent agreement on several bed, bathroom, and shoe-safety items.
03The observed residents generally showed good fall-prevention practices, and practices were not significantly associated with having fallen in the previous year.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was 102 residents from two long-term care institutions, so it may not apply to other settings. Totally dependent residents were excluded, and residents who fell during the study period were excluded, limiting generalisability. Items 7 and 8 could not be assessed for observer agreement because both observers chose the same answer option, and items 2 and 11 had weak agreement. The study tested reliability and observed practices, not whether the scale predicts future falls or whether changing practices prevents falls. Observers were nurses trained for the study, so agreement in routine care may differ.
Declared interests
The paper does not state funding sources or author conflicts of interest; it reports that the study was conducted within a fall-risk management project approved by an ethics commission.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the scale's good reliability as proof that it predicts falls or that these practices prevented falls. The study found no statistically significant association between observed safety practices and having fallen in the previous year.