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Home‐Screen: A Short Scale to Measure Fall Risk in the Home
Author(s) -
Johnson Maree,
Cusick Anne,
Chang Sungwon
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
public health nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.471
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1525-1446
pISSN - 0737-1209
DOI - 10.1046/j.1525-1446.2001.00169.x
Subject(s) - scale (ratio) , medicine , construct validity , nursing homes , construct (python library) , gerontology , injury prevention , suicide prevention , occupational safety and health , poison control , activities of daily living , nursing , psychology , psychometrics , medical emergency , clinical psychology , physical therapy , physics , pathology , quantum mechanics , computer science , programming language
Community nurses are often the health professionals with whom older Australians living at home have most contact. The home environment has been identified to have a number of hazards associated with falls in older people. The Home‐screen scale was specifically designed as a nurse‐administered instrument to identify environmental and behavioral risks that alert nurses to the need for action to reduce fall risks in the home. A 14‐item scale was administered to 1,165 older people receiving community nursing services. Psychometric investigation confirmed a 10‐item scale with construct validity and internal consistency (α= 0.86, n = 989), explaining 60% of the construct of home safety (safe home environment and safe home behaviors). In addition, differences in mean scores were found in clients able and unable to transfer independently ( t = 4.5 [ df = 323.1] p < 0.001 [Group 1: M = 82.14, SD = 15.56; Group 2: M = 75.54, SD = 20.83, n = 989]). Similarly, an association existed between clients with low scores on the Home‐screen scale and the perceived need for home modification. A score of 74 on this scale has been identified as a critical point for potential client injury. The use of this scale, both as an initial screening instrument and as a monitoring tool for community nurses working with older people, is recommended.