Downton Fall Risk Index
Fall risk across five blocks, maximum 11 points. High-risk threshold: 3 points or more.
Updated · Methodology
About this calculator
The index gathers five blocks of factors: previous falls, medication, sensory deficits, mental state and gait. The medication block contributes up to five points and names the groups explicitly: tranquillisers and sedatives, diuretics, antihypertensives other than diuretics, antiparkinsonian drugs and antidepressants. That is the most useful part of the scale, because it is the only one pointing at a reversible cause: reviewing the regimen lowers risk, whereas age and a previous stroke do not. The 3-point threshold is the one used in Spanish geriatrics and home care. The index was designed for residential and hospital populations and performs better there than among active older people living at home. Its sensitivity exceeds its specificity: many patients score high, which is a reason to check the home, the eyesight and the prescriptions rather than a prognosis in itself. It does not replace a functional test: timed up-and-go and Tinetti balance assessment show what a questionnaire cannot.
Source
Formula version: downton-1993-v1
Related
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