Remote assessment of functional mobility within a community telehealth falls prevention program: reliability and validity

IntroductionIn Canada, older adults face barriers to access healthcare, which includes falls prevention. An effective option to improve access is telehealth, which may be used for falls risk screening remotely. However, reliability and validity of remote functional mobility assessment have yet to be established within a francophone older adult context. This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Timed Up and Go and the Five Times Sit to Stand when administered remotely and determine whether remote assessments could serve as a valid and reliable alternative to in-person fall risk screening for francophone older adults. MethodsThe TUG and FTSTS were conducted remotely by physiotherapists and in-person by individuals with varied healthcare backgrounds. Inter-rater reliability was examined between two remote assessors and between one remote compared to one in-person assessor. Concurrent validity was examined between in-person and simultaneous remote assessments. ResultsSixty-seven older adults completed assessments either with an in-person and a remote assessor or two remote assessors. Excellent inter-rater reliability was documented for both the TUG and FTSTS remotely and in-person. Concurrent validity was also excellent, with complete agreement between remote and in-person assessors for correctly identifying participants at risk of falls. DiscussionRemote mobility assessments can be conducted safely and with excellent reliability, providing an effective alternative to in-person falls screening in a preferred language. Remote assessments can be used in the context of falls prevention programs to improve access and health equity for older individuals who face mobility, geographic or linguistic barriers.