Fall risk evaluation scales: An integrative literature review

Abstract

Objective: to characterize and qualify fall risk evaluation scales validated for application in hospitalized adult patients. Method: an integrative literature review that included investigations developed with hospitalized patients 18 years old or older after consulting the LILACS, PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase databases. Results: 319 papers were found, among which nine were included in the present review. Most scales were developed between 1989 and 1999 and oriented to assess fall risk in adults and elderly people. The domains mobility (88.8%), fall history (88.8%), mental state (66.6%), incontinence (77.7%), use of medications (66.6%), and sensory deficit (55.5%) were used most often. Four scales (44.4%) showed test results for the evaluation of psychometric properties. Conclusion: the scales found in the scientific literature did not present a consensus on the domains for fall prediction and most were not submitted to evaluation of the recommended psychometric properties.