The risk of falling among older adults in long-term care: Screening by the Morse Fall Scale

Abstract

AimTo identify the incidence of key fall risk factors in groups of older adults in long-term care facilities and to find out which factors can be identified by the Morse Fall Scale (MFS) as significant in relation to high fall risks. Fall risk screening is the basis for efficient intervention planning. MFS is often recommended for fall risk detection even in long-term care settings. No tool for the prediction of fall risks has been tested in Slovakia so far. MethodsThe design of this study is descriptive and correlated. Fall risk factors and fall risk screening (according to MFS) were assessed in 89 older adults in two long-term care facilities. The data were collected from July to October 2016. ResultsThe majority of monitored risk factors had a high incidence in the sample. The authors identified that a strong predictor of a fall is mainly the presence of a fall in the patient's clinical history. Statistically significant correlations were found between a history of falling, disorder of the gait and balance, use of ambulatory aids, mental disorder, falling during the study and a high fall risk according to MFS. ConclusionThis tool provides nurses with the information on the level of fall risk and specific risk factors. It also enables targeted planning of preventive and protective interventions. Despite the clinical efficiency of the tool it is still important to continue testing the prediction value of the tool in different areas of nursing practice in Slovakia.