Application of a World Health Organization 10-minute screening tool in eastern Taiwan—Falls and self-rated health status among community-dwelling elderly

Abstract Objectives Falling is a major health risk facing the elderly. The prevalence of falls is 20.5% among adults older than 65 years in Taiwan. Our study used a geriatric screening tool to identify elderly people at high risk of falls. Materials and Methods Our study used a 10-minute geriatric screening tool developed by the World Health Organization to survey geriatric health problems and evaluated its effectiveness in a population of elderly Taiwanese. There were 186 participants who were ≥ 65 years old. All participants were interviewed by trained volunteers using the screening tool. Results The prevalence of falls was 28.3%, depression 13.4%, and urinary incontinence 29.9% in the previous year. Health issues in the elderly associated with a history of falls included depression ( p p  = 0.004), and urinary incontinence in the previous week ( p  = 0.007). Protective factors against falls included the ability to walk fast ( p p p p  = 0.023), whereas the ability to walk fast presented a negative correlation ( p  = 0.015). Conclusion The World Health Organization 10-minute screening tool can be rapidly and easily implemented in a primary care clinical setting. It can also improve the identification of elderly persons living in the community at high risk of falling.