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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
Author(s) -
Romli Muhammad Hibatullah,
Mackenzie Lynette,
Lovarini Meryl,
Tan Maw Pin,
Clemson Lindy
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of evaluation in clinical practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.737
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1365-2753
pISSN - 1356-1294
DOI - 10.1111/jep.12697
Subject(s) - inter rater reliability , reliability (semiconductor) , context (archaeology) , test (biology) , medicine , kuala lumpur , gerontology , psychology , rating scale , paleontology , developmental psychology , power (physics) , marketing , business , biology , physics , quantum mechanics
Rationale, aims and objectives Falls can be a devastating issue for older people living in the community, including those living in Malaysia. Health professionals and community members have a responsibility to ensure that older people have a safe home environment to reduce the risk of falls. Using a standardised screening tool is beneficial to intervene early with this group. The Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool (HOME FAST) should be considered for this purpose; however, its use in Malaysia has not been studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the interrater and test‐retest reliability of the HOME FAST with multiple professionals in the Malaysian context. Methods A cross‐sectional design was used to evaluate interrater reliability where the HOME FAST was used simultaneously in the homes of older people by 2 raters and a prospective design was used to evaluate test‐retest reliability with a separate group of older people at different times in their homes. Both studies took place in an urban area of Kuala Lumpur. Results Professionals from 9 professional backgrounds participated as raters in this study, and a group of 51 community older people were recruited for the interrater reliability study and another group of 30 for the test‐retest reliability study. The overall agreement was moderate for interrater reliability and good for test‐retest reliability. The HOME FAST was consistently rated by different professionals, and no bias was found among the multiple raters. Conclusion 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.