Informatics, Volume 12, Issue 2 , 01/06/2025

The Development and Evaluation of the Application for Assessing the Fall Risk Factors and the Suggestion to Prevent Falls in Older Adults

Charupa Lektip, Wiroj Jiamjarasrangsi, Charlee Kaewrat, Jiraphat Nawarat, Chadapa Rungruangbaiyok, Lynette Mackenzie, Voravuth Somsak, Nipaporn Wannaprom

Abstract

Falls are a major health concern for older adults, often leading to injuries and reduced independence. This study develops and evaluates a mobile application integrating two validated fall-risk assessment tools—the Stay Independent Brochure (SIB) and the 44-question Thai Home Falls Hazards Assessment Tool (Thai-HFHAT). The app utilizes a cloud-based architecture with a relational database for real-time analytics and user tracking. In Phase 1, 30 healthcare professionals assessed the app’s technical performance and user experience using a modified System Usability Scale (SUS), achieving a high usability score of 85.2. In Phase 2, 67 older adults used the app for self-assessment, with test–retest reliability evaluated over one week. The app showed strong reliability, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of 0.80 for the SIB (Thai-version) and 0.77 for the Thai-HFHAT. Cloud-hosted analytics revealed significant correlations between fall occurrences and both SIB (r = 0.657, p < 0.001) and Thai-HFHAT scores (r = 0.709, p < 0.001), demonstrating the app’s predictive validity. The findings confirm the app’s effectiveness as a self-assessment tool for fall-risk screening among older adults, combining clinical validity with high usability. The integration of culturally adapted tools into a cloud-supported platform demonstrates the value of informatics in geriatric care. Future studies should focus on expanding the app’s reach, incorporating AI-driven risk prediction, enhancing interoperability with electronic health records (EHRs), and improving long-term user engagement to maximize its impact in community settings.

Document Type

Article

Source Type

Journal

Keywords

AI in healthcaredigital healthfall risk assessmenthealth informaticsmobile health

ASJC Subject Area

Computer Science : Human-Computer InteractionComputer Science : Computer Networks and CommunicationsSocial Sciences : Communication

Funding Agency

Thailand Science Research and Innovation


Bibliography


Lektip, C., Jiamjarasrangsi, W., Kaewrat, C., Nawarat, J., Rungruangbaiyok, C., Mackenzie, L., Somsak, V., ... Wannaprom, N. (2025). The Development and Evaluation of the Application for Assessing the Fall Risk Factors and the Suggestion to Prevent Falls in Older Adults. Informatics, 12(2) doi:10.3390/informatics12020053

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