Explain whether you feel like the score from the Fall Risk Tool is accurate and if the tool is worth the effort to develop.

If used in combination with other fall-risk indicators, I think the Score from the Tool is accurate. For instance, a patient’s medical history, physical abilities or medications taken all play an important role in determining their risk for falls. However, simply relying on a Fall Risk Tool to determine someone’s level of fall risk would not be sufficient.

While developing and utilizing the Fall Risk Tool can surely provide useful information about an individual’s fall risk status, I think it ultimately comes down to how this data is interpreted and applied when making decisions regarding a patient’s care plan. If healthcare professionals use the tool as intended while also taking into account other factors that might contribute to a person’s likelihood of falling then I do believe it could be worth the effort to develop. This involves educating the patient on safety issues such as how they can use their assistive device properly or to avoid slippery surfaces.

At the same time, healthcare providers should recognize that even with assessments like this there are still many variables which could increase an individual’s chance of having an accidental fall due to factors such as sudden changes in environment or behavior. Health professionals must not only consider these scores, but should also use additional resources to assess patients’ fall risk.