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
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
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