Wagner LM, Clark PC, Parmelee P, et al. Use of a content analysis procedure for the development of a Falls Management Audit Tool. J. Nurs Meas. 2005 Fall;13(2):101-13.

The Falls Management Audit Tool (FMAT) was developed to assess the documentation of the falls management process in nursing homes. The multistep content analysis procedure was used to guide tool development and obtain reliability and validity of the FMAT. Established fall guidelines and national experts were used for item development. Trained gerontological nurse practitioners conducted chart audits in nursing home residents with a fall history. Adequate content validity (content validity index > .88) and interrater and intrarater reliability were established (kappas > .78) in the final version of the 57-item FMAT and pilot testing demonstrated feasibility. This study provided evidence that the FMAT is a reliable and valid tool, which can be used to assess the documentation of the falls management process and for measuring the effect of research or quality improvement interventions.