Patent ID: 7282031

Claim:
A method for determining a fall risk of a patient for use by a caregiver, the method comprising the steps of: evaluating the patient to determine whether the patient exhibits the intrinsic fall risk factors of confusion, depression, altered elimination, dizziness, male gender, antiepileptic/anticonvulsant prescriptions and benzodiazepine prescriptions; assigning a weighted point value from a predefined point value range, to each of said intrinsic risk factors found to be exhibited by the patient, wherein at least one first intrinsic risk factor is assigned a highest weighted point value, at least one second intrinsic risk factor is assigned a lowest weighted point value, and the remaining intrinsic risk factors are each assigned a weighted point value in between the highest and lowest weighted point values; performing a mobility test on the patient to evaluate the patient's ability to rise from a seated position; assigning a mobility test weighted point value from a predefined point value range, to the patient based upon the patient's performance of the mobility test; recording the weighted point values in a recordable medium; summing the intrinsic risk factor point values together with the mobility test point value to achieve a total risk score; determining the patient's fall risk based on the total risk score; and communicating the patient's fall risk to a caregiver; wherein the point value for confusion is the highest weighted point value; the point value for depression is points in between the highest weighted point value and the lowest weighted point value; the point value for altered elimination is the lowest weighted point value; the point value for dizziness is the lowest weighted point value; the point value for an antiepileptic/anticonvulsant prescription is in between the highest weighted point value and the lowest weighted point value; the point value for a benzodiazepine prescription is the lowest weighted point value; the mobility test point value for the mobility test is the highest weighted point value.