Cent Eur J Nurs Midw 2017, 8(1):588-595 | DOI: 10.15452/CEJNM.2017.08.0006

PREDICTIVE VALUE OF THE MORSE FALL SCALE

Ivana Bóriková*, Martina Tomagová, Michaela Miertová, Katarína ®iaková
Department of Nursing, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Commenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia

Aim: The goal of this study was to analyse relevant research studies focusing on the testing of the predictive value of the Morse Fall Scale measuring device on hospitalized patients.

Design: Literature review.

Method: Search for full text research studies in Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Summon Discovery Tool (licensed electronic information databases), based on pre-established criteria, and key words, from 1989 to 2016.

Results: Sensitivity values ranged from 31% to 98%, and specificity values ranged from 8% to 97% in 14 analysed studies. The predictive value of the tool in validation studies varies depending on the tested cut-off value, the type of clinical ward, the frequency of assessment, the size and age of the sample, and the length of hospitalisation; therefore, the validity of the results from one study cannot by extrapolated to the entire hospitalized population of patients.

Conclusion: The predictive values of the Morse Fall Scale are not stable; they vary in clinical conditions according to various factors. When implementing a tool for a specific clinical ward, an optimum cut-off score must be established to ensure that preventative strategies do not require unnecessary effort on the part of the staff, and do not increase hospital costs.

Keywords: falls, hospital, Morse Fall Scale, sensitivity, specificity, review

Received: October 26, 2016; Accepted: December 5, 2016; Published: March 30, 2017  Show citation

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Bóriková I, Tomagová M, Miertová M, ®iaková K. PREDICTIVE VALUE OF THE MORSE FALL SCALE. Central European Journal of Nursing and Midwifery. 2017;8(1):588-595. doi: 10.15452/CEJNM.2017.08.0006.
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