The interrater and test‐retest reliability of the <scp>Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool</scp> (<scp>HOME FAST</scp>) in <scp>Malaysia</scp>: Using raters with a range of professional backgrounds

“…Seventy-seven different checklists were reported, with just one fourth ( n = 19, 25%) used in two or more studies (see Table 2 ). Five checklists (6%) were used in at least five studies (Additional file 3 : Table S2), the Westmead Home Safety Assessment (WeHSA, n = 10) [ 24 , 48 , 55 – 58 , 61 , 68 , 136 , 145 ], Minimum Data Set–Home Care instrument (MDS-HC; n = 7) [ 52 , 54 , 74 , 99 , 106 , 112 , 147 ], Tideiksaar et al checklist (n = 7) [ 5 , 14 , 70 , 94 , 100 , 129 , 140 ], Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool (HOME FAST; n = 6) [ 27 , 101 – 103 , 110 , 122 ], and Housing Enabler Instrument ( n = 5) [ 80 , 83 , 84 , 118 , 154 ]. A majority of studies ( n = 57, 74%) used “in house” questionnaires.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only two authors reported sensitivity and specificity of checklists items [ 62 , 103 ]. Thirty studies reported inter-rater reliability [ 8 , 14 , 15 , 19 , 23 , 51 , 54 , 57 – 59 , 72 , 77 , 80 , 81 , 84 , 85 , 98 , 103 , 106 , 110 – 112 , 115 , 120 – 123 , 133 , 135 , 152 ]; fewer reported test-retest reliability [ 36 , 81 , 98 , 122 ] or internal consistency [ 53 , 81 , 86 , 97 ]. The inter-rater reliability of checklists, when used by professional and lay older adult pairs, was reported in four studies; three showed that professionals identified more hazards than lay older adults [ 23 , 111 , 133 ] and one showed that lay older adults reported more of some hazards, while professionals reported more of other hazards [ 110 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A need to improve the assessment of environmental hazards for falls on stairs and in bathrooms: results of a scoping review

Blanchet

Edwards

2018

BMC Geriatr

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BackgroundFalls occurring on stairs or in bathrooms are associated with a high risk of injuries among older adults. Home environmental assessments are frequently used to guide fall-prevention interventions. The aims of this review were to describe how, where, by whom, and for whom environmental hazard checklists are used, and to examine the characteristics of environmental hazard assessment checklists with specific attention to features of bathrooms and stairs/steps assessed in them.MethodsStudies published before January 5, 2018, were identified using several databases. Publications reporting the use and/or evaluation of environmental hazard checklists were eligible if they assessed bathrooms or stairs/steps in homes of older adults (≥65 years). Content analysis was conducted on publications that provided a complete list of specific environmental hazards assessed. Checklist items related to bathrooms and stairs/steps were extracted and categorized as structural or non-structural and as objective or subjective.Results1119 studies were appraised. A pool of 136 published articles and 4 checklists from the grey literature were included in this scoping review. Content analysis was conducted on 42 unique checklists. There was no widely used checklist and no obvious consensus definition of either environmental hazards overall or of single hazards listed in checklists. Checklists varied greatly with respect to what rooms were assessed, whether or not outdoor stair/steps hazards were assessed, and how responses were coded. Few checklists examined person-environment fit. The majority of checklists were not oriented towards structural hazards in bathrooms. Although the majority of checklists assessing stair/steps hazards evaluated structural hazards, most features assessed were not related to the construction geometry of stairs/steps. Objective features of bathrooms and stairs/steps that would deem them safe were rarely specified. Rather, adequacy of their characteristics was mostly subjectively determined by the evaluator with little or no guidance or training.ConclusionThe lack of standard definitions and objective criteria for assessing environmental hazards for falls is limiting meaningful cross-study comparisons and slowing advances in this field. To inform population health interventions aimed at preventing falls, such as building code regulations or municipal housing by-laws, it is essential to include objectively-assessed structural hazards in environmental checklists.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12877-018-0958-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Dynamic variability on how older adults navigate their home environment in ways that either reduce or increase their risk of falls is difficult to capture (39). The functional aspects may involve underlying contributions such as cognitive, vision and mobility problems that may be difficult for non-health or non-occupational therapy trained individuals to interpret when conducting the assessment (1,2,31). Another limitation is the cross-sectional design where any causal-and-effect relationship is unable to be determined (40) however prospective data is not yet available.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Falls are known as a major issue for older people. Falls are common among communitydwelling older populations (1)(2)(3)(4). However, the impact from falls can be catastrophic such as psychological disturbance, injuries (i.e., fractures, pain, oedema), loss of functions (physical, social, activities of daily living), morbidity, and mortality (5).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home Hazards With Fear of Falling: Findings From the Baseline Study of the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR)

Romli

Mackenzie

Lovarini

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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Background: Fear of falling (FoF) is a common issue among older people, impacting on psychological health, functional performance and mortality. Many factors associated with fear of falling have been investigated but little is known about the role of home hazards. Home hazards can be due to unsafe environmental and functional features. This study is aims to evaluate the association between home hazards with fear of falling among community-dwelling individuals aged 55 years and over.Methods: Baseline data with 1,489 older individuals from the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study were analyzed. Home visits for interview and observations in the home were conducted with the participants. FoF was established with a single-item question and home hazards with the Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool (HOME FAST).Results: The majority (76.4%) of older participants experienced FoF. The history of falls was not associated with FoF (p = 0.868), but FoF was associated with participants limiting their daily activities (p < 0.001). Home hazards were less likely (p = 0.023) and functional issues were more likely (p < 0.001) to be associated with a high degree of FoF. However, both home hazards domains were not associated with activity restriction due to FoF.Conclusions: Education about home hazards from the perspective of person-environment interaction may encourage home hazards management and reduce FoF which should be evaluated in future studies.

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The interrater and test‐retest reliability of the Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool (HOME FAST) in Malaysia: Using raters with a range of professional backgrounds

Abstract: The HOME FAST can be used with confidence by a variety of professionals across different settings. The HOME FAST can become a universal tool to screen for home hazards related to falls.

Cited by 15 publications

References 33 publications

Factors associated with home hazards: Findings from the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research study

Factors associated with home hazards: Findings from the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research study

A need to improve the assessment of environmental hazards for falls on stairs and in bathrooms: results of a scoping review

Home Hazards With Fear of Falling: Findings From the Baseline Study of the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR)

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