VALIDATION OF A FALL-RISK SCREENING-TEST, THE ELDERLY FALL SCREENING-TEST (EFST), FOR COMMUNITY-DWELLING ELDERLY

Falls are the most common type of injury among the elderly, and the so urce of both functional and psychological morbidity. The aim of this s tudy was to validate the Elderly Fall Screening Test (EFST). In a comm unity primary-care clinic, the members 60 years or older who were func tionally independent were screened. Of the 568 elderly persons who met these criteria, 361 were interviewed once and 283 persons were re-int erviewed a year later. The EFST, a five-item test, was used to divide participants into low-and high-risk groups. Concurrent criterion valid ity was assessed by physical examinations conducted by physicians who were blind as to the risk designation. Using data from the follow-up i nterview, predictive validity was assessed on both fall-related and ge neral health measures. Based on the results of the EFST, 28 % of the r espondents were designated as being at high risk for falls (i.e. havin g a score of two or more risk items). The results of physicians' exami nations corroborated the screening test results in 75 % of the cases, with 83 % sensitivity and 69 % specificity. In the follow-up interview , the high-risk group, as compared to the low-risk group, was more lik ely to have high scores on EFST, a fall in the past month or year, fre quent near falls, and an injurious fall. Those with high EFST scores w ere more likely to report four or more sick days in the past six month s, a hospitalization in the past year, poor self-rated health, a decli ne in health in the past 6 months, and symptoms of depression. The EFS T has both criterion and predictive validity. It can be useful in comm unity-based prevention programmes with functionally independent elderl y people.