Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA)
Observed balance and gait, 16 and 12 points. Below 19 of 28 indicates high fall risk.
Updated · Methodology
Balance is assessed on a hard armless chair; gait is assessed at the patient's usual pace with their usual walking aid.
About this calculator
Unlike risk-factor questionnaires, the Tinetti scale rates what the clinician sees rather than the history: the patient rises from a chair, stands with eyes closed, withstands a nudge to the sternum, turns 360 degrees, sits down and then walks along a corridor. Balance contributes up to 16 points, gait up to 12, for a total of 28. Thresholds: below 19 high fall risk, 19-24 risk present, 25 and above low. The strength of the scale is that almost every low item points at a specific target for intervention: instability on the nudge leads to balance training, a short step and foot drag to work on extensor strength, deviation from the path to checking vision and footwear. The assessment takes 10 to 15 minutes and needs a corridor, so it cannot be squeezed into two minutes in the consulting room, which is where it differs from the Downton index. It is performed with whatever walking aid and shoes the patient normally uses, otherwise the result describes someone other than the person who will walk home.
Source
Formula version: tinetti-1986-v1
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