Falls Efficacy Scale | Fall Risk Assessment | Geriatric Population

The fall efficacy scale I or FES-I has been developed by the Prevention of Falls Network Europe PROFANE and it is a tool used to assess the fear of falling in the elderly population. It has predictive validity for the risk of future falls in the frail elderly as reported by Delbaere et al. in (2010).

The fall efficacy scale I or FES-I has been developed by the Prevention of Falls Network Europe PROFANE and it is a tool used to assess the fear of falling in the elderly population. It has predictive validity for the risk of future falls in the frail elderly as reported by Delbaere et al in 2010. The original questionnaire consists of 16 items that describe different activities of daily living such as getting dressed or walking up a slope. The patient is asked to rate the fear of falling when doing said activities on a four-point Likert scale ranging from 1 meaning not worried at all to 4 meaning very worried.

To evaluate the questionnaire the sum of all scores is taken. A total score of >23 indicates high fear of falling and may positively predict future falls. 

For more efficient use in practice, a condensed 7-item scale has been developed but as of recording the video it has not yet been validated internationally. For the short version, a cutoff score of >10 indicates high fear of falling. 

Both the original and short versions can be downloaded in multiple languages.

Another common, quicker and easier test to assess fall risk in the elderly is the Timed-Up-and-Go Test.

Dewan, N., & MacDermid, J. C. (2014). Fall efficacy scale-international (FES-I). Journal of physiotherapy, 60(1), 60-60.