Predictive Performance of the KINDER 1 Fall Risk Assessment Tool in a Regional Health System

Abstract

Introduction

Patient fall risk assessment in the emergency department poses a unique challenge as fall risk is often associated with risk factors other than inpatient falls. While there are many inpatient fall risk assessment tools, few have been used or validated in the ED environment. Therefore, this study examined the predictive performance of the KINDER 1 Fall Risk Assessment Tool in 10 emergency departments.

Methods

A retrospective cohort design was used. Data were collected from November 15, 2023, to April 30, 2024, as a part of an electronic pilot of the KINDER 1 Fall Risk Assessment tool. Inclusion criteria encompassed all adult (≥18 years) ED visits during which a KINDER 1 fall risk assessment was completed. Descriptive statistics were used to describe overall sample characteristics. Predictive performance was calculated via multiple accuracy measurements.

Results

KINDER 1 assessments were completed on 64,811 patients, of which 40 patient falls met inclusion criteria for final analysis. The mean age of the patients who fell was 58.46 years (±18.38). Final sensitivity was 77.5%, and the specificity was 75.8%. Fall prevalence was 0.06%.

Discussion

KINDER 1 exhibited a sufficiently high degree of sensitivity and specificity, supporting an acceptable level of predictive performance. Additional research is recommended to compare the reliability and predictive validity of KINDER 1 to the emergency Hester Davis Scale and the Memorial Emergency Department Fall Risk Assessment Tool, as well as to compare the usability of the tools for nurses in a triage setting.