Table 14.

Examples of falls risk assessment

(A) High risk of fallsa
Presence of one or more of
• prior history of falls  • lower extremity weakness  • poor balance  • cognitive impairment  • orthostatic hypotension  • use of psychotropic drugs  • severe arthritis  • dizziness
(B) Probability of falls assessmentb
1 point for each ‘yes’
Previous falls	Yes/no
Medications
>4	Yes/no
Psychotropics	Yes/no
Low visual acuity	Yes/no
Diminished sensation	Yes/no
Near tandem stand 10 s	Yes/no
Alternate step test 10 s	Yes/no
Sit to stand 12 s	Yes/no

Score	0–1	2–3	4–5	6+
Probability of fall per year	7%	13%	27%	49%

Multidisciplinary team approach, including formal geriatric assessment recommended.

^aAdapted from Steffel et al.⁷⁰

^bAdapted from Tiedemann et al.⁵⁵⁵