Simplifying and Testing the Psychometric Psychiatric Patients’ Fall Risk Scale: An Analysis of One-Year Admissions

Abstract

This study aimed to simplify the number of items evaluated by fall risk assessment scales for psychiatric patients, conduct associated reliability, validity, and receiver operating characteristic analyses, and determine fall predictors for psychiatric patients. This methodological study was conducted in a hospital specializing in psychiatry, using data from 1101 patients who were hospitalized in 2018. This fall risk assessment scale was modified by the hospital for use in psychiatric patients. The mean age of the sample population was 44.88 (SD = 12.05) years, and the mean duration of hospital stay was 44.04 (SD = 48.14) days. Men comprised 66% of the study population, and women were 34%. Item reduction, psychometric testing for validity and reliability, and receiver operating characteristic analyses were conducted. Logistic regressions were used to analyze fall predictors, including “having anti-epileptic drugs”, “need for walking aids”, and “having experienced fall occurrence within one year”. This study successfully reduced the number of items assessed by the previous scale. The optimal cutoff point was reduced, and the sensitivity and accuracy of the newly revised scale were good. Three fall predictors for psychiatric patients were identified. The revised scale can facilitate the rapid and accurate identification of high-risk, fall-prone psychiatric patients by psychiatric nurses. Hospital information screening should include each patient’s fall history.