Agreement in Fall Risk Perception Among Oncohematology Patients, Caregivers, and Nurses

BACKGROUND: Falls are preventable adverse events in hospitalized oncology populations. PURPOSE: To determine agreement in perceived fall risk among oncohematologic patients, caregivers, and nurses within 72 hours of admission. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in 2 university hospitals involving patient-caregiver-nurse triads. The primary outcome was perceived fall risk assessed with the St. Thomas Risk Assessment Tool in Falling Elderly Inpatients. RESULTS: A total of 126 triads (378 assessments) were analyzed. Overall agreement was moderate (72.2%; k = 0.573). "History of falls" showed almost perfect agreement (93.7%; k = 0.824). "Patient agitation" showed fair agreement (k = 0.280), whereas "visual impairment" and "frequent toileting/toilet assistance" showed no significant agreement. Pairwise concordance ranged from 79.4%-83.3% (k = 0.536-0.607), with the highest agreement between caregiver and nurse. CONCLUSIONS: Overall agreement was moderate, with the highest agreement for history of falls. Standardizing interpretation and incorporating multidimensional assessments may improve fall risk identification.