TY  - JOUR
AU  - Gray-Miceli, Deanna
AU  - Ratcliffe, Sarah J.
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/03/10
TI  - A Pilot Study Testing the Clinical Congruency of Healthcare Providers to Use a Clinical Decision Support Tool to Assess Falls in Older Adults
JO  - OBM Geriatrics
SP  - 303
VL  - 09
IS  - 01
AB  - This research sought to determine feasibility for RNs to use the Post Fall Index™ (PFI) and to determine if an RN could identify underlying causal event factors for falls, would it be congruent with other providers (advanced practice nurse [APN], physician [MD])? PFI data from 23 falling residents of a nursing home were compiled into clinical vignettes and reviewed by experts for underlying causal event factors/fall sub-types. RNs used the PFI for one month in practice. The RN generated the most diagnoses; percent agreement was lower for RN: MD (between 37 to 87%) comparisons of fall sub-types versus APN: MD (between 57-87%). Significant agreement occurred between APN: MD for chronic problems (kappa = 0.060, p < 0.001) and equipment (p = 0.02), but not for RN: MD. RNs reported the PFI more precise. Although the PFI is feasible to use and an RN could identify underlying causes, percent agreement was higher for APN’s. Finding from this study indicate that three independent raters could generate similar fall related categories reinforcing a working assumption that clinical decision making for identifying specific fall related causal event factors maybe obtainable by multiple level providers when the correct tools are utilized.
SN  - 2638-1311
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.geriatr.2501303
DO  - 10.21926/obm.geriatr.2501303
ID  - Gray-Miceli2025
ER  -