Reliability and Validity of Caregivers’ Fear of Falling Index When Caring for Home-Based Rehabilitation Patients With Fall-Related Fractures

Objective To evaluate the reliability and validity of this new measure, called the caregivers’ fear of falling index (CFFI). Methods The study surveyed home-based rehabilitation patients with fall-related fracture, and their primary caregivers. The characteristics of these patients were evaluated, and the caregivers were surveyed using the CFFI and Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I). The reliability of the CFFI was assessed using item-total correlation, while the validity of the CFFI was evaluated through correlation coefficients calculated between the CFFI and the FES-I. Results The participants were 51 patient-caregiver pairs. The internal consistency of the CFFI showed an alpha coefficient of 0.904. No items were excluded in the corrected item-total correlations. The CFFI showed a moderate correlation with FES-I (r=0.432, p=0.002). Conclusion This study found the CFFI to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring the primary caregivers’ fear. The CFFI may be a useful tool for healthcare professionals to identify and supporting these primary caregivers

Interlaboratory evaluation of LC–MS-basedbiomarker assays: supplementary materials

Validation of biomarker assays is crucial for effective drug development and clinical applications.Interlaboratory reproducibility is vital for reliable comparison and combination of data from differentcenters. This review summarizes interlaboratory studies of quantitative LC–MS-based biomarker assaysusing reference standards for calibration curves. The following points are discussed: trends in reports,reference and internal standards, evaluation of analytical validation parameters, study sample analysisand normalization of biomarker assay data. Full evaluation of these parameters in interlaboratory studiesis limited, necessitating further research. Some reports suggest methods to address variations in biomarkerassay data among laboratories, facilitating organized studies and data combination. Method validationacross laboratories is crucial for reducing interlaboratory differences and reflecting target biomarkerresponses.</p