Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27531736›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2016

Pilot study to investigate the feasibility of the Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool (HOME FAST) to identify older Malaysian people at risk of falls.

Muhammad Hibatullah Romli, Lynette Mackenzie, Meryl Lovarini, Maw Pin Tan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Exploring Indoor Home Environment Factors Influencing Fear of Falling: A Systematic Review.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Muhammad Hibatullah RomliDiscipline of Occupational Therapy, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia Department of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Lynette MackenzieDiscipline of Occupational Therapy, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia.
Meryl LovariniDiscipline of Occupational Therapy, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia.
Maw Pin TanFaculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Malaysia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe relationship between home hazards and falls in older Malaysian people is not yet fully understood. No tools to evaluate the Malaysian home environment currently exist. Therefore, this study aimed to pilot the Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool (HOME FAST) to identify hazards in Malaysian homes, to evaluate the feasibility of using the HOME FAST in the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study and to gather preliminary data about the experience of falls among a small sample of Malaysian older people.

designA cross-sectional pilot study was conducted.

settingAn urban setting in Kuala Lumpur.

participants26 older people aged 60 and over were recruited from the control group of a related research project in Malaysia, in addition to older people known to the researchers. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: The HOME FAST was applied with the baseline survey for the MELoR study via a face-to-face interview and observation of the home by research staff.

resultsThe majority of the participants were female, of Malay or Chinese ethnicity and living with others in a double-storeyed house. Falls were reported in the previous year by 19% and 80% of falls occurred at home. Gender and fear of falling had the strongest associations with home hazards. Most hazards were detected in the bathroom area. A small number of errors were detected in the HOME FAST ratings by researchers.

conclusionsThe HOME FAST is feasible as a research and clinical tool for the Malaysian context and is appropriate for use in the MELoR study. Home hazards were prevalent in the homes of older people and further research with the larger MELoR sample is needed to confirm the validity of using the HOME FAST in Malaysia. Training in the use of the HOME FAST is needed to ensure accurate use by researchers.

Indexed as

Accidental FallsAccidents, HomeAgedCross-Sectional StudiesEnvironment DesignFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansInterior Design and FurnishingsMalaysiaMaleMass ScreeningPilot ProjectsResidence CharacteristicsRisk AssessmentSex FactorsEPIDEMIOLOGYGERIATRIC MEDICINEPUBLIC HEALTHREHABILITATION MEDICINE

Identifiers

PMID27531736
PMCPMC5013375

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.