Validation of the Hester Davis Scale for fall risk assessment in a neurosciences population.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Fall risk assessment is a necessary component of fall prevention programs. Accurate instruments to predict the risk of falling are paramount in identifying the correct patients in need of fall prevention measures. The purpose of this study was to prospectively validate the Hester Davis Scale (HDS) for fall risk assessment in an acute care setting in the South Central United States. METHODS The HDS was prospectively validated in 1,904 patients on a neurosciences unit. RESULTS Using an initial cut score of 7 produced a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 24.9%. Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis evidenced a cut score of 10 that would produce a more desirable sensitivity and specificity of 90.9% and 47.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION The results of the psychometric evaluation and validation of the HDS support its use in clinical practice.