Prospective Validation of the FES-I in an Acute Hospital Setting
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Prospective Validation of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International in an Acute General Internal Medicine Setting
IRAS ID
177298
Contact name
Steve W Parry
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 31 days
Research summary
This project aims to test whether a questionnaire to assess fear of falling, the Falls Efficacy Scale- International (FES-I), is suitable for use in older adults who are acute medical inpatients in hospital. Fear of falling is associated with decreased quality of life and has previously been identified as a predictor of future falls. It has been found in up to 85% of those who fall, and in many people who have never fallen. These range from activities of daily living, such as dressing, to more demanding activities such as visiting friends or walking on an uneven surface.
The FES-I has been developed and translated for use in a variety of settings and languages, however, it is not yet widely in use as an outcome in falls research and has not yet been tested validated in hospital inpatients. The association of fear of falling with adverse outcomes may be particularly important for older medical inpatients, but there is no instrument for assessing fear of falling in this patient group. The FES-I will be administered to 200 older adults presenting to the medical assessment unit or hospital wards. Patients aged over 60 who are medically fit to participate and able to consent to participation would be included. Additional information collected from participants will include demographic data such as age, type of residence (own home/sheltered accommodation/nursing home)and history of falls in the previous year. Another questionnaire, which measures mood and anxiety in hospital patients, would also be given (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). The FES-I would be repeated two days later for those who remain inpatients. This would enable comparison with previous groups in which the FES-I has been tested. Statistical tests will then be used to assess whether the test is suitable for use in hospital inpatients.
REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
15/WA/0251
Date of REC Opinion
8 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion