Derivation of a frailty index from the interRAI acute care instrument

Functional Decline in Long-Term Care Homes in the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Population-based Longitudinal Study in Five Canadian Provinces

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to examine whether functional decline accelerated during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March to June 2020) for persons in long-term care facilities (LTCs) in Canada compared with the pre-pandemic period.

DESIGN

We conducted a population-based longitudinal study of persons receiving care in LTC homes in 5 Canadian provinces before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Residents in 1326 LTC homes within the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Ontario between January 31, 2019, and June 30, 2020, with activities of daily living Hierarchy scale less than 6 and so, who still have potential for decline (6 being the worst of the 0-6 scale).

METHODS

We fit a generalized estimating equation model with adjustment for repeated measures to obtain the adjusted odds of functional decline between COVID period exposed and unexposed pre-pandemic residents.

RESULTS

LTC residents experienced slightly higher rates of functional decline during the first wave of the COVD-19 pandemic compared with the pre-pandemic period (23.3% vs 22.3%; P < .0001). The adjusted odds of functional decline were slightly greater during the pandemic (odds ratio [OR], 1.17; 95% CI, 1.15-1.20). Likewise, residents receiving care in large homes (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.17-1.24) and urban-located LTC homes (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.17-1.23), were more likely to experience functional decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. The odds of functional decline were also only significantly higher during the pandemic for LTC home residents in British Columbia (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.11-1.23) and Ontario (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.21-1.29).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

This study provides evidence that the odds of experiencing functional decline were somewhat greater during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the need to maintain physical activity and improve nutrition among older adults during periods of stress. The information would be helpful to health administrators and decision-makers seeking to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures affected LTC residents' health outcomes.

Identifying Frailty in Older Adults Receiving Home Care Assessment Using Machine Learning: Longitudinal Observational Study on the Role of Classifier, Feature Selection, and Sample Size

BACKGROUND

Machine learning techniques are starting to be used in various health care data sets to identify frail persons who may benefit from interventions. However, evidence about the performance of machine learning techniques compared to conventional regression is mixed. It is also unclear what methodological and database factors are associated with performance.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to compare the mortality prediction accuracy of various machine learning classifiers for identifying frail older adults in different scenarios.

METHODS

We used deidentified data collected from older adults (65 years of age and older) assessed with interRAI-Home Care instrument in New Zealand between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2016. A total of 138 interRAI assessment items were used to predict 6-month and 12-month mortality, using 3 machine learning classifiers (random forest [RF], extreme gradient boosting [XGBoost], and multilayer perceptron [MLP]) and regularized logistic regression. We conducted a simulation study comparing the performance of machine learning models with logistic regression and interRAI Home Care Frailty Scale and examined the effects of sample sizes, the number of features, and train-test split ratios.

RESULTS

A total of 95,042 older adults (median age 82.66 years, IQR 77.92-88.76; n=37,462, 39.42% male) receiving home care were analyzed. The average area under the curve (AUC) and sensitivities of 6-month mortality prediction showed that machine learning classifiers did not outperform regularized logistic regressions. In terms of AUC, regularized logistic regression had better performance than XGBoost, MLP, and RF when the number of features was ≤80 and the sample size ≤16,000; MLP outperformed regularized logistic regression in terms of sensitivities when the number of features was ≥40 and the sample size ≥4000. Conversely, RF and XGBoost demonstrated higher specificities than regularized logistic regression in all scenarios.

CONCLUSIONS

The study revealed that machine learning models exhibited significant variation in prediction performance when evaluated using different metrics. Regularized logistic regression was an effective model for identifying frail older adults receiving home care, as indicated by the AUC, particularly when the number of features and sample sizes were not excessively large. Conversely, MLP displayed superior sensitivity, while RF exhibited superior specificity when the number of features and sample sizes were large.

The Prevalence of the Frailty Syndrome in a Hospital Setting-Is Its Diagnosis a Challenge? A Comparison of Four Frailty Scales in a Cross-Sectional Study

The study aimed to assess the prevalence of the frailty syndrome in older patients hospitalized in the geriatric ward depending on the diagnostic criteria used, the feasibility of particular diagnostic scales in hospitalized patients, and their compatibility; 416 patients (81.2 ± 6.91 years) admitted to the Department of Geriatrics of Hospital of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration in Bialystok within eight months were included in the study. Four diagnostic scales were used to identify the frailty syndrome: Fried criteria, 7-point Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), 40-item Frailty Index (FI), and FRAIL Scale. Depending on the scale, the prevalence of frailty syndrome varied from 26.8% (FRAIL Scale), 52.3% (Clinical Frailty Scale), and 58.1% (Fried criteria) up to 62.9% (Frailty Index). We observed the highest feasibility for CFS (100%) and the lowest for the Fried scale (79.8%). The highest level of agreement was found between the CFS and Frailty Index, with 80.3% consistent ratings (Cohen Kappa 0.6). Patients in the geriatric ward are characterized by a high prevalence of frailty, although it differs depending on the criteria. The most difficult to use in daily practice was the Fried scale, while the Clinical Frailty Scale was determined feasible in all patients.

The association between frailty, long-term care home characteristics and COVID-19 mortality before and after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

The relative contributions of long-term care (LTC) resident frailty and home-level characteristics on COVID-19 mortality has not been well studied. We examined the association between resident frailty and home-level characteristics with 30-day COVID-19 mortality before and after the availability of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in LTC.

METHODS

We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study of LTC residents with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in Ontario, Canada. We used multi-level multivariable logistic regression to examine associations between 30-day COVID-19 mortality, the Hubbard Frailty Index (FI), and resident and home-level characteristics. We compared explanatory models before and after vaccine availability.

RESULTS

There were 11,179 and 3,655 COVID-19 cases in the pre- and post-vaccine period, respectively. The 30-day COVID-19 mortality was 25.9 and 20.0% during the same periods. The median odds ratios for 30-day COVID-19 mortality between LTC homes were 1.50 (95% credible interval [CrI]: 1.41-1.65) and 1.62 (95% CrI: 1.46-1.96), respectively. In the pre-vaccine period, 30-day COVID-19 mortality was higher for males and those of greater age. For every 0.1 increase in the Hubbard FI, the odds of death were 1.49 (95% CI: 1.42-1.56) times higher. The association between frailty and mortality remained consistent in the post-vaccine period, but sex and age were partly attenuated. Despite the substantial home-level variation, no home-level characteristic examined was significantly associated with 30-day COVID-19 mortality during either period.

INTERPRETATION

Frailty is consistently associated with COVID-19 mortality before and after the availability of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Home-level characteristics previously attributed to COVID-19 outcomes do not explain significant home-to-home variation in COVID-19 mortality.

Factors associated with entry to residential care in frail older inpatients

OBJECTIVE

To examine factors that may influence the risk of discharge to a residential aged care facility (RACF) in a population of frail older inpatients.

METHODS

We analysed data from 5846 inpatients aged over 60 years from 27 hospitals in Queensland, Australia, admitted from independent living and referred for geriatric consultation. Patients underwent an interRAI Acute Care Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment by trained nurses. Frailty was assessed using a 52-item frailty index (FI). Risk/protective factors were determined a priori. Logistic regression assessed the relationship between factors and discharge destination, adjusted for FI, age, sex and hospital. Frailty × risk/protective factor interactions were performed.

RESULTS

Patients had a mean (SD) age of 79.7 (8.2) years and a mean (SD) FI of 0.44 (0.14). Twenty-nine per cent (n = 1678) of patients were discharged to an RACF. Each 0.1 increment in FI increased the risk of discharge to an RACF by 54% (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.40-1.68, p < 0.01). Being married or in a de facto relationship had protective effects up to an FI of 0.7, whereas behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) increased the risk of RACF discharge up to an FI of 0.7. Female sex, faecal incontinence and living alone did not influence the relationship between frailty and discharge destination.

CONCLUSIONS

The association between frailty and discharge to RACF has previously been recognised but here we found that risk and protective factors can influence this association. Whether early identification and management of mutable factors can reduce discharge to RACF should be addressed in future studies.

Frailty in younger adults in hospital

BACKGROUND

Even though frailty has been extensively measured in the acute care setting, relatively little is known about the frailty of younger adult inpatients.

AIM

This study aimed to measure frailty in a sample of hospitalized adults aged 18 years and over and to examine how frailty in younger adult inpatients differs from middle-aged and older adult inpatients.

DESIGN

Secondary analyses of prospectively collected cohort data.

METHODS

Research nurses assessed 910 patients at admission to four Australian hospitals using the interRAI Acute Care instrument. Comparison of frailty index (FI) scores and domains was conducted across three age groups: younger (18-49 years), middle-aged (50-69 years) and older adults (≥70 years). Multivariable logistic regression examined risk of prolonged length of stay and unfavourable discharge destination.

RESULTS

Younger adults (n = 214; 23.5%) had a mean (SD) FI of 0.19 (0.10). Approximately 27% (n = 57) of younger adults were frail (FI > 0.25). Mood and behaviour, health symptoms and syndromes, nutrition and pain were the most frequently affected domains in younger adults and 50% had ≥3 comorbidities. Frailty increased the risk of long length of stay (odds ratio (OR) = 1.77, P < 0.001) but not the risk of an unfavourable discharge (OR = 1.40, P = 0.20) in younger adults.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that frailty is prevalent in younger patients admitted to acute care and is associated with adverse outcomes. This study was a critical first step towards establishing an understanding of frailty in younger hospitalized adults.

A prospective, observational study of frailty, quality of life and dialysis in older people with advanced chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND

Frailty is prevalent in older people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and robust evidence supporting the benefit of dialysis in this setting is lacking. We aimed to measure frailty and quality of life (QOL) longitudinally in older people with advanced CKD and assess the impact of dialysis initiation on frailty, QOL and mortality.

METHODS

Outpatients aged ≥65 with an eGFR ≤ 20ml/minute/1.73m2 were enrolled in a prospective observational study and followed up four years later. Frailty status was measured using a Frailty Index (FI), and QOL was evaluated using the EuroQol 5D-5L instrument. Mortality and dialysis status were determined through inspection of electronic records.

RESULTS

Ninety-eight participants were enrolled. Between enrolment and follow-up, 36% of participants commenced dialysis and 59% died. Frailty prevalence increased from 47% at baseline to 86% at follow-up (change in median FI = 0.22, p < 0.001). Initiating dialysis was not significantly associated with change in FI. QOL declined from baseline to follow-up (mean EQ-5D-5L visual analogue score of 70 vs 63, p = 0.034), though commencing dialysis was associated with less decline in QOL. Each 0.1 increment in baseline FI was associated with 59% increased mortality hazard (HR = 1.59, 95%CI = 1.20 to 2.12, p = 0.001), and commencing dialysis was associated with 59% reduction in mortality hazard (HR = 0.41, 95%CI = 0.20 to 0.87, p = 0.020) irrespective of baseline FI.

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty increased substantially over four years, and higher baseline frailty was associated with greater mortality. Commencing dialysis did not affect the trajectory of FI but positively influenced the trajectory of QOL from baseline to follow-up. Within the limitations of small sample size, our data suggests that frail participants received similar survival benefit from dialysis as non-frail participants.

Comparison of a multidomain frailty index from routine health data with the hospital frailty risk score in older patients in an Australian hospital

BACKGROUND

Frailty is an important determinant of health-care needs and outcomes for people in hospital.

OBJECTIVES

To compare characteristics and predictive ability of a multidomain frailty index derived from routine health data (electronic frailty index-acute hospital; eFI-AH) with the hospital frailty risk score (HFRS).

METHODS

This retrospective study included 6771 patients aged ≥75 years admitted to an Australian metropolitan tertiary referral hospital between October 2019 and September 2020. The eFI-AH and the HFRS were calculated for each patient and compared with respect to characteristics, agreement, association with age and ability to predict outcomes.

RESULTS

Median eFI-AH was 0.17 (range 0-0.66) whilst median HFRS was 3.2 (range 0-42.9). Moderate agreement was shown between the tools (Pearson's r 0.61). After adjusting for age and gender, both models had associations with long hospital stay, in-hospital mortality, unplanned all-cause readmission and fall-related readmission. Specifically, the eFI-AH had the strongest association with in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.81, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 2.49-3.17), whilst the HFRS was most strongly associated with long hospital stay (aOR 1.20, 95% CI 1.18-1.21). Both tools predicted hospital stay >10 days with good discrimination and calibration.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the eFI-AH and the HFRS did not consistently identify the same inpatients as frail, both were associated with adverse outcomes and they had comparable predictive ability for prolonged hospitalisation. These two constructs of frailty may have different implications for clinical practice and health service provision and planning.

Preserving the discreteness of deficits during coding leads to a lower frailty index in individuals living in long-term care

This study assesses two coding approaches on the frailty index (FI). Two FI were calculated using 43 variables from 29,758 older adults (84.6 ± 8 years old; 64 % female) in long-term care. Scores were coded as 0, 0.5, or 1 regardless of the number of levels (grouped), or preserved (e.g., a 4 level variable was coded as 0, 0.33, 0.67, or 1; discrete). Grouped and discrete FI were compared with each ordinal variable removed but all other ordinal variables included. This was repeated until 28 unique (14 grouped, 14 discrete) FI had been constructed each with one ordinal variable removed per FI. FI was correlated to age and mortality separated by sex. The median grouped (0.302 (0.221-0.372)) was higher relative to the discrete (0.237 (0.170-0.307)) FI. The discrete (r = 0.91, r = 0.87) and grouped (r = 0.93, r = 0.87) FI showed similar relationships to age and mortality. Removal of any ordinal variable reduced grouped FI by 0.004 or 0.016, whereas removal led to both increases (range: 0.003-0.001) and reductions (range: 0.002-0.008) for discrete FI. A grouped approach inflates FI. A discrete approach provides a more accurate measure of frailty.

Validating biologic age in selecting elderly patients with pancreatic cancer for surgical resection

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Selecting frail elderly patients with pancreatic cancer (PC) for pancreas resection using biologic age has not been elucidated. This study determined the feasibility of the deficit accumulation frailty index (DAFI) in identifying such patients and its association with surgical outcomes.

METHODS

The DAFI, which assesses frailty based on biologic age, was used to identify frail patients using clinical and health-related quality-of-life data. The characteristics of frail and nonfrail patients were compared.

RESULTS

Of 242 patients (median age, 75.5 years), 61.2% were frail and 32.6% had undergone pancreas resection (surgery group). Median overall survival (mOS) decreased in frail patients (7.13 months, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.65-10.1) compared with nonfrail patients (16.1 months, 95% CI: 11.47-34.40, p = 0.001). In the surgery group, mOS improved in the nonfrail patients (49.4%; 49.2 months, 95% CI: 29.3-79.9) compared with frail patients (50.6%, 22.1 months, 95% CI: 18.3-52.4, p = 0.10). In the no-surgery group, mOS was better in nonfrail patients (54%; 10.81 months, CI 7.85-16.03) compared with frail patients (66%; 5.45 months, 95% CI: 4.34-7.03, p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

The DAFI identified elderly patients with PC at risk of poor outcomes and can identify patients who can tolerate more aggressive treatments.

Frailty and pain in an acute private hospital: an observational point prevalence study

Frailty and pain in hospitalised patients are associated with adverse clinical outcomes. However, there is limited data on the associations between frailty and pain in this group of patients. Understanding the prevalence, distribution and interaction of frailty and pain in hospitals will help to determine the magnitude of this association and assist health care professionals to target interventions and develop resources to improve patient outcomes. This study reports the point prevalence concurrence of frailty and pain in adult patients in an acute hospital. A point prevalence, observational study of frailty and pain was conducted. All adult inpatients (excluding high dependency units) at an acute, private, 860-bed metropolitan hospital were eligible to participate. Frailty was assessed using the self-report modified Reported Edmonton Frail Scale. Current pain and worst pain in the last 24 h were self-reported using the standard 0-10 numeric rating scale. Pain scores were categorised by severity (none, mild, moderate, severe). Demographic and clinical information including admitting services (medical, mental health, rehabilitation, surgical) were collected. The STROBE checklist was followed. Data were collected from 251 participants (54.9% of eligible). The prevalence of frailty was 26.7%, prevalence of current pain was 68.1% and prevalence of pain in the last 24 h was 81.3%. After adjusting for age, sex, admitting service and pain severity, admitting services medical (AOR: 13.5 95% CI 5.7-32.8), mental health (AOR: 6.3, 95% CI 1. 9-20.9) and rehabilitation (AOR: 8.1, 95% CI 2.4-37.1) and moderate pain (AOR: 3.9, 95% CI 1. 6-9.8) were associated with increased frailty. The number of older patients identified in this study who were frail has implications for managing this group in a hospital setting. This indicates a need to focus on developing strategies including frailty assessment on admission, and the development of interventions to meet the care needs of these patients. The findings also highlight the need for increased pain assessment, particularly in those who are frail, for more effective pain management.Trial registration: The study was prospectively registered (ACTRN12620000904976; 14th September 2020).

External validation of the hospital frailty risk score among hospitalised home care clients in Canada: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

The Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) is scored using ICD-10 diagnostic codes in administrative hospital records. Home care clients in Canada are routinely assessed with Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care (RAI-HC) which can calculate the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and the Frailty Index (FI).

OBJECTIVE

Measure the correlation between the HFRS, CFS and FI and compare prognostic utility for frailty-related outcomes.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, Canada.

SUBJECTS

Home care clients aged 65+ admitted to hospital within 180 days (median 65 days) of a RAI-HC assessment (n = 167,316).

METHODS

Correlation between the HFRS, CFS and FI was measured using the Spearman correlation coefficient. Prognostic utility of each measure was assessed by comparing measures of association, discrimination and calibration for mortality (30 days), prolonged hospital stay (10+ days), unplanned hospital readmission (30 days) and long-term care admission (1 year).

RESULTS

The HFRS was weakly correlated with the FI (ρ 0.21) and CFS (ρ 0.28). Unlike the FI and CFS, the HFRS was unable to discriminate for 30-day mortality (area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) 0.506; confidence interval (CI) 0.502-0.511). It was the only measure that could discriminate for prolonged hospital stay (AUC 0.666; CI 0.661-0.673). The HFRS operated like the FI and CFI when predicting unplanned readmission (AUC 0.530 CI 0.526-0.536) and long-term care admission (AUC 0.600; CI 0.593-0.606).

CONCLUSIONS

The HFRS identifies a different subset of older adult home care clients as frail than the CFS and FI. It has prognostic utility for several frailty-related outcomes in this population, except short-term mortality.

Predictors of improvement in urinary incontinence in the postacute setting: A Canadian cohort study

PURPOSE

To determine factors associated with improvement in urinary incontinence (UI) for long-stay postacute, complex continuing care (CCC) patients.

DESIGN

A retrospective cohort investigation of patients in a CCC setting using data obtained from the Canadian Institute for Health Information's Continuing Care Reporting System collected with interRAI Minimum Data Set 2.0.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Individuals aged 18 years and older, were admitted to CCC hospitals in Ontario, Canada, between 2010 and 2018.

METHODS

Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the independent effects of predictors on UI improvement, for patients who were somewhat or completely incontinent on admission and therefore had the potential for improvement.

RESULTS

The study cohort consisted of 18 584 patients, 74% (13 779) of which were somewhat or completely incontinent upon admission. Among those patients with potential for improvement, receiving bladder training, starting a new medication 90 days prior (odds ratio, OR: 1.54 [95% confidence interval, CI: 1.36-1.75]), and triggering the interRAI Urinary Incontinence Clinical Assessment Protocol to facilitate improvement (OR: 1.36 [95% CI: 1.08-1.71]) or to prevent decline (OR: 1.32 [95% CI: 1.13-1.53]) were the strongest predictors of improvement. Conversely, being totally dependent on others for transfer (OR: 0.62 [95% CI: 0.42-0.92]), is rarely or never understood (OR: 0.65 [95% CI: 0.50-0.85]), having a major comorbidity count of ≥3 (OR: 0.72 [95% CI: 0.59-0.88]), Parkinson's disease, OR: 0.77 (95% CI: 0.62-0.95), Alzheimer/other dementia, OR: 0.83 (95% CI: 0.74-0.93), and respiratory infections, OR: 0.57 (95% CI: 0.39-0.85) independently predicted less likelihood of improvement in UI.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Findings of this study suggest that improving physical function, including bed mobility, and providing bladder retraining have strong positive impacts on improvement in UI for postacute care patients. Evidence generated from this study provides useful care planning information for care providers in identifying patients and targeting the care that may lead to better success with the management of UI.

The 5-factor modified frailty index (mFI-5) is predictive of 30-day postoperative complications and readmission in patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD)

BACKGROUND

There is limited research regarding the association between the mFI-5 and postoperative complications among adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients.

METHODS

Using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP) database, patients with Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for > 7-level fusion or < 7-level fusion with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes for ASD were identified between 2008 and 2016. Univariate analyses with post-hoc Bonferroni correction for demographics and preoperative factors were performed. Logistic regression assessed associations between mFI-5 scores and 30-day post-operative outcomes.

RESULTS

2,120 patients met criteria. Patients with an mFI-5 score of 4 or 5 were excluded, given there were<20 patients with those scores. Patients with mFI-5 scores of 1 and 2 had increased 30-day rates of pneumonia (3.5 % and 4.3 % vs 1.6 %), unplanned postoperative ventilation for > 48 h (3.1 % and 4.3 % vs 0.9 %), and UTIs (4.4 % and 7.4 % vs 2.0 %) than patients with a score of 0 (all, p < 0.05). Logistic regression revealed that compared to an mFI-5 of 0, a score of 1 was an independent predictor of 30-day reoperations (OR = 1.4; 95 % CI 1.1-18). A score of 2 was an independent predictor of overall (OR = 2.4; 95 % CI 1.4-4.1) and related (OR = 2.2; 95 % CI 1.2-4.1) 30-day readmissions. A score of 3 was not predictive of any adverse outcome.

CONCLUSION

The mFI-5 score predicted complications and postoperative events in the ASD population. The mFI-5 may effectively predict 30-day readmissions. Further research is needed to identify the benefits and predictive value of mFI-5 as a risk assessment tool.

Development and validation of a frailty index compatible with three interRAI assessment instruments

BACKGROUND

a Frailty Index (FI) calculated by the accumulation of deficits is often used to quantify the extent of frailty in individuals in specific settings. This study aimed to derive a FI that can be applied across three standardised international Residential Assessment Instrument assessments (interRAI), used at different stages of ageing and the corresponding increase in support needs.

METHODS

deficit items common to the interRAI Contact Assessment (CA), Home Care (HC) or Long-Term Care Facilities assessment (LTCF) were identified and recoded to form a cumulative deficit FI. The index was validated using a large dataset of needs assessments of older people in New Zealand against mortality prediction using Kaplan Meier curves and logistic regression models. The index was further validated by comparing its performance with a previously validated index in the HC cohort.

RESULTS

the index comprised 15 questions across seven domains. The assessment cohort and their mean frailty (SD) were: 89,506 CA with 0.26 (0.15), 151,270 HC with 0.36 (0.15) and 83,473 LTCF with 0.41 (0.17). The index predicted 1-year mortality for each of the CA, HC and LTCF, cohorts with area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of 0.741 (95% confidence interval, CI: 0.718-0.762), 0.687 (95%CI: 0.684-0.690) and 0.674 (95%CI: 0.670-0.678), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

the results for this multi-instrument FI are congruent with the differences in frailty expected for people in the target settings for these instruments and appropriately associated with mortality at each stage of the journey of progressive ageing.

Treating advanced lung cancer in older veterans with comorbid conditions and frailty

Advanced lung cancer is a deadly malignancy that is a common cause of death among Veterans. Significant advancements in lung cancer therapeutics have been made over the past decade and survival outcomes have improved. The Veteran population is older, has more medical comorbidities and frailty compared to the general population. These factors must be accounted for when evaluating patients for treatment and selecting treatment options. This article explores the impact of these important issues in the management of advanced lung cancer. Recent clinical trials leading to the approval of modern therapies will be outlined and treatment outcomes specific to older patients discussed. The impact of key comorbidities that are common in Veterans and their impact on lung cancer treatment will be reviewed. There is no gold standard frailty index for assessment of frailty in patients with advanced lung cancer and the ability to predict tolerability and benefit from systemic therapies. Currently available systemic therapies are associated with higher risk of adverse events and lower potential for clinically meaningful improvement in outcomes. Future research needs to focus on designing better frailty indices and developing novel therapies that are safer and more effective therapies for frail patients, who constitute a considerable proportion of individuals diagnosed with lung cancer.

The Older Persons' Index of Multiple Deprivation: Measuring the deprivation circumstances of older populations in Aotearoa New Zealand

Existing indices of multiple deprivation exclude indicators specifically relevant to the population aged ≥65 years. In this study we create a whole-of-population cohort of people aged ≥65 years living in private dwellings and who completed the 2013 New Zealand Census of Populations and Dwellings to create an Older Persons' Index of Multiple Deprivation (OPIMD). We combined 22 indicators representing 6 domains of deprivation (Income, Housing, Health, Assets, Connectedness and Geographic access) to establish this individual-level measure of deprivation. We used smoking data from the census to validate the OPIMD and describe the geography of the OPIMD by District Health Board, contrasting these patterns with a conventional area deprivation index. The OPIMD has the potential to inform policies concerning resource allocation for the older population. An accompanying website with an interactive atlas and an online OPIMD calculator is available for wider use of the data. Further research is required to explore associations between the OPIMD and other major health and social outcomes affecting this population.

An interRAI derived frailty index predicts acute hospitalizations in older adults residing in retirement villages: A prospective cohort study

Objectives

The development of frailty tools from electronically recorded healthcare data allows frailty assessments to be routinely generated, potentially beneficial for individuals and healthcare providers. We wished to assess the predictive validity of a frailty index (FI) derived from interRAI Community Health Assessment (CHA) for outcomes in older adults residing in retirement villages (RVs), elsewhere called continuing care retirement communities.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Setting and participants

34 RVs across two district health boards in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). 577 participants, mean age 81 years; 419 (73%) female; 410 (71%) NZ European, 147 (25%) other European, 8 Asian (1%), 7 Māori (1%), 1 Pasifika (<1%), 4 other (<1%).

Methods

interRAI-CHA FI tool was used to stratify participants into fit (0–0.12), mild (>0.12–0.24), moderate (>0.24–0.36) and severe (>0.36) frail groups at baseline (the latter two grouped due to low numbers of severely frail). Primary outcome was acute hospitalization; secondary outcomes included long-term care (LTC) entry and mortality. The relationship between frailty and outcomes were explored with multivariable Cox regression, estimating hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs).

Results

Over mean follow-up of 2.5 years, 33% (69/209) of fit, 58% (152/260) mildly frail and 79% (85/108) moderate-severely frail participants at baseline had at least one acute hospitalization. Compared to the fit group, significantly increased risk of acute hospitalization were identified in mildly frail (adjusted HR = 1.88, 95%CI = 1.41–2.51, p<0.001) and moderate-severely frail (adjusted HR = 3.52, 95%CI = 2.53–4.90, p<0.001) groups. Similar increased risk in moderate-severely frail participants was seen in LTC entry (adjusted HR = 5.60 95%CI = 2.47–12.72, p<0.001) and mortality (adjusted HR = 5.06, 95%CI = 1.71–15.02, p = 0.003).

Conclusions and implications

The FI derived from interRAI-CHA has robust predictive validity for acute hospitalization, LTC entry and mortality. This adds to the growing literature of use of interRAI tools in this way and may assist healthcare providers with rapid identification of frailty.

Frailty and severe mental illness: A systematic review and narrative synthesis

OBJECTIVE

Emerging evidence suggests that people with severe mental illness (SMI) have an increased risk of frailty. We conducted a systematic review to investigate the prevalence and correlates of frailty, as well as the efficacy of frailty interventions, in this population.

METHODS

We searched databases from inception to 21 September 2021 for studies that assessed or intervened for frailty in relation to an SMI diagnosis. A narrative synthesis explored the characteristics and adverse health outcomes associated with frailty and the efficacy of interventions. The prevalence of frailty was investigated, and its relationship with age was analysed by a meta-regression.

RESULTS

Twenty-five studies involving 2499 patients, primarily older adults, were included in the narrative synthesis. Frailty was associated with higher rates of physical comorbidity, cognitive deficits, falls and mortality among those with SMI. The efficacy of a yoga intervention was investigated in one study, without sustained reductions in frailty. The prevalence of frailty varied between 10.2 and 89.7% and was high in comparison to the general population.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of frailty was high in those with SMI and ranged widely due to heterogeneity of study populations. Assessing frailty enables the identification of patients who could benefit from interventions and assists in treatment-related decision making. Further research is required to develop appropriate frailty interventions for this population.

Predictors of short- and long-term mortality among acutely admitted older patients: role of inflammation and frailty

BACKGROUND

Frailty, demographic and clinical variables linked to incident diseases (e.g., dehydration, inflammation) contribute to poor outcomes in older patients acutely hospitalized. Their predictivity on short-, intermediate- and long-term mortality in a comprehensive model has been scarcely investigated.

AIMS

To test the performance of a predictive tool considering frailty and inflammation as well as age, sex and impaired hydration status on 1-year mortality in acutely admitted older patients.

METHODS

Retrospective observational study including 529 medical patients (age 84.6 ± 7.3 years). At hospital admission, frailty was assessed by the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI). The Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) was used to grade systemic inflammation. Serum osmolarity was calculated to assess hydration.

RESULTS

After adjusting for age, sex, GPS and osmolarity, the severe-risk MPI was a strong predictor for 1-year mortality (OR 4.133; 95% CI 2.273-7.516; p < 0.001). Age > 85 years, male sex, GPS-2 and serum osmolarity > 300 mOsm/L were independent predictors of mortality in the same multivariable model. The MPI alone showed a moderate discrimination power (AUC 0.678; 95% CI 0.628-0.729; p < 0.001) on 1-year mortality, which increased by 12.5% after the addition of the above predictors in the fully adjusted regression model (AUC 0.763; 95% CI 0.719-0.807; p < 0.001). The severe-risk MPI adjusted for the same factors was also an independent predictor of mortality after 60 and 180 days since hospital admission.

DISCUSSION

Inflammation and impaired hydration are potentially modifiable risk factors for severe outcomes in older acutely hospitalized patients. A model combining GPS, age, gender, and plasma osmolarity improved the accuracy of MPI at admission in predicting long-term mortality.

Predictors of Frailty Change in Home and Community-Based Services Populations

OBJECTIVES

With unprecedented demand for Medicaid long-term services and supports, states are seeking to allocate resources in the most efficient way. Understanding the prevalence of frailty and how it varies across home and community-based services (HCBS) populations can assist states with more precise identification of individuals most in need of services. Early identification of individuals more likely to experience frailty changes could allow for enhanced care planning to prevent or slow the progression of decline.

DESIGN

Longitudinal study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Data from Connecticut's assessment tool (based on interRAI-HC) were analyzed at 2 time points for 16,309 individuals receiving HCBS. The sample included assessments completed between November 1, 2017 and July 15, 2020 across 4 groups: older adults 65+ years old meeting nursing facility level of care (NF LOC), older adults 65+ years old not meeting NF LOC, individuals with acquired brain injury, and individuals <65 years old with physical disability.

METHODS

We measured frailty using the Frailty Index (FI) and examined change in FI between baseline and follow-up. A change in FI score of at least ±0.03 was classified as a clinically meaningful change. We compared predictors of clinically meaningful decline or improvement using multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

In our sample, 54% of individuals experienced a clinically meaningful change: 42% declined and 12% improved. Individuals receiving in-home care services had lower odds of improvement across all HCBS groups and multiple frailty categories with odds ratios ranging from 0.35 to 0.68. Frail older adults 65+ years old meeting nursing facility level of care receiving physical therapy were 21% less likely to experience decline and 1.4 times more likely to improve.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The nature of HCBS support provided can impact changes in frailty status. More reactive services such as in-home care may contribute to frailty decline while rehabilitative services such as physical therapy may protect against decline.

Prognostic association of frailty with post-arrest outcomes following cardiac arrest: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To synthesize the current evidence examining the association between frailty and a series of post-arrest outcomes following the provision of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

DATA SOURCES

We searched MEDLINE, PubMed (exclusive of MEDLINE), EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science from inception to August 2020 for observational studies that examined an association between frailty and post-arrest health outcomes, including in-hospital and post-discharge mortality. We conducted citation tracking for all eligible studies.

STUDY SELECTION

Our search yielded 20,480 citations after removing duplicate records. We screened titles, abstracts and full-texts independently and in duplicate.

DATA EXTRACTION

The prognosis research strategy group (PROGRESS) and the critical appraisal and data extraction for systematic review of prediction modelling studies (CHARMS) guidelines were followed. Study and outcome-specific risk of bias were assessed using the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) instrument. We rated the certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) recommendations for prognostic factor research.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Four studies were included in this review and three were eligible for statistical pooling. Our sample comprised 1,134 persons who experienced in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). The mean age of the sample was 71 years. The study results were pooled according to the specific frailty instrument. Three studies used the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and adjusted age (our minimum confounder); the presence of frailty was associated with an approximate three-fold increase in the odds of dying in-hospital after IHCA (aOR = 2.93; 95% CI = 2.43-3.53, high certainty). Frailty was also associated with decreased incidence of ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation) and discharge home following IHCA. One study with high risk of bias used the Hospital Frailty Risk Score and reported a 43% decrease in the odds of discharge home for patients with frailty following IHCA.

CONCLUSION

High certainty evidence was found for an association between frailty and in-hospital mortality following IHCA. Frailty is a robust prognostic factor that contributes valuable information and can inform shared-decision making and policies surrounding advance care directives. Registration: PROSPERO Registration # CRD42020212922.

Baseline Frailty as a Predictor of Survival After Critical Care: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Older Adults Receiving Home Care in Ontario, Canada

BACKGROUND

The extent to which the degree of baseline frailty, as measured using standardized multidimensional health assessments before hospital admission, predicts survival among older adults after admission to an ICU, remains unclear.

RESEARCH QUESTION

Is baseline frailty an independent predictor of survival among older adults receiving care in an ICU?

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Retrospective cohort study of community-dwelling older adults (age, ≥ 65 years) receiving public home services who were admitted to any ICU in Ontario, Canada, between April 1, 2009, and March 31, 2015. All individuals underwent an inter-Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care (RAI-HC) assessment completed within 180 days of ICU admission. These assessments were linked to hospital discharge abstract records. Patients were categorized using frailty measures each calculated from the RAI-HC: a classification tree version of the Clinical Frailty Scale; the Frailty Index-Acute Care; and the Changes in Health, End-Stage Disease, Signs, and Symptoms Scale. One-year survival models were used to compare their performance. Patients were stratified based on the receipt of mechanical ventilation in the ICU.

RESULTS

Of 24,499 individuals admitted to an ICU within 180 days of a RAI-HC assessment, 26.4% (n = 6,467) received mechanical ventilation. Overall, 43.0% (95% CI, 42.4%-43.6%) survived 365 days after ICU admission. In general, among the overall cohort and both mechanical ventilation subgroups, mortality hazards increased with the severity of baseline frailty. Models predicting survival 30, 90, and 365 days after admission to an ICU that adjusted for one of the frailty measures were more discriminant than reference models that adjusted only for age, sex, major clinical category, and area income quintile.

INTERPRETATION

Severity of baseline frailty is associated independently with survival after ICU admission and should be considered when determining goals of care and treatment plans for people with critical illness.

Frailty of Māori, Pasifika, and Non-Māori/Non-Pasifika Older People in New Zealand: A National Population Study of Older People Referred for Home Care Services

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the prevalence of frailty in indigenous populations. We developed a frailty index (FI) for older New Zealand Māori and Pasifika who require publicly funded support services.

METHODS

An FI was developed for New Zealand adults aged 65 and older who had an interRAI Home Care assessment between June 1, 2012 and October 30, 2015. A frailty score for each participant was calculated by summing the number of deficits recorded and dividing by the total number of possible deficits. This created a FI with a potential range from 0 to 1. Linear regression models for FIs with ethnicity were adjusted for age and sex. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between the FI and mortality for Māori, Pasifika, and non-Māori/non-Pasifika.

RESULTS

Of 54 345 participants, 3096 (5.7%) identified as Māori, 1846 (3.4%) were Pasifika, and 49 415 (86.7%) identified as neither Māori nor Pasifika. New Zealand Europeans (48 178, 97.5%) constituted most of the latter group. Within each sex, the mean FIs for Māori and Pasifika were greater than the mean FIs for non-Māori and non-Pasifika, with the difference being more pronounced in women. The FI was associated with mortality (Māori subhazard ratio [SHR] 2.53, 95% CI 1.63-3.95; Pasifika SHR 6.03, 95% CI 3.06-11.90; non-Māori and non-Pasifika SHR 2.86, 95% CI 2.53-3.25).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated differences in FI between the ethnicities in this select cohort. After adjustment for age and sex, increases in FI were associated with increased mortality. This suggests that FI is predictive of poor outcomes in these ethnic groups.

Prevalence and factors associated with Advance Health Directives in frail older inpatients

BACKGROUND

Advance health directives (AHDs) can be used to explore and document patient preferences for treatment and are therefore an important aspect of care planning.

AIMS

To investigate the prevalence and factors associated with AHDs among older inpatients.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 6449 patients, aged ≥65 years referred for specialist geriatric consultation between 2007 and 2018 in Queensland, Australia. The interRAI-Acute Care Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment tool was used to calculate a frailty index (FI), range 0-1, based on 52 possible deficits, and categorised into intervals of 0.1 for analysis. FI was also grouped according to previously reported cut points: fit (FI ≤0.25), moderately frail (FI >0.25-0.4), frail (FI >0.4-0.6) and severely frail (FI >0.6).

RESULTS

An AHD was present in 1032/6449 (16.0%) patients. Those with an AHD were significantly frailer than those without an AHD (mean FI 0.52 vs 0.45; p < 0.001). Higher frailty (OR:1.34(1.27-1.40)), older age (OR:1.04(1.03-1.05)), living in an institution (OR:1.33(1.01-1.73)), and recent hospitalisation (OR:1.42(1.23-1.62)) were significantly associated with higher prevalence of AHDs. Prevalence of AHD increased over time, from 7.6%(n = 66) in 2008 to 35.4%(n = 99) in 2017.

CONCLUSION

The presence of AHDs is associated with sociodemographic factors, as well as higher frailty levels. Prevalence of AHDs among inpatients has increased over the past decade but remains modest. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Frailty in Older Adults With Multiple Myeloma: A Study of US Veterans

PURPOSE

Age-associated cumulative decline across physiologic systems results in a diminished resistance to stressors, including cancer and its treatment, creating a vulnerable state known as frailty. Frailty is associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes in patients with cancer. Identification of frailty in administrative data can allow for assessment of prognosis and facilitate control for confounding variables. The purpose of this study was to assess frailty from claims-based data using the accumulation of deficits approach in veterans with multiple myeloma (MM).

METHODS

From the Veterans Administration Central Cancer Registry, we identified patients who were diagnosed with MM between 1999 and 2014. Using the accumulation of deficits approach, we calculated a Frailty Index (FI) using 31 health-associated deficits and categorized scores into five groups: nonfrail (FI, 0 to 0.1), prefrail (FI, 0.11 to 0.20), mild frailty (FI, 0.21 to 0.30), moderate frailty (FI, 0.31 to 0.40), and severe frailty (FI, > 0.4). We used Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to assess association between FI score and mortality while adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

We calculated an FI for 3,807 veterans age 65 years or older. Among the cohort, 28.7% were classified as nonfrail, 41.3% prefrail, 21.6% mildly frail, 6.6% moderately frail, and 1.7% severely frail. Frailty was strongly associated with mortality independent of age, race, MM treatment, body mass index, or statin use. Higher FI score was associated with higher mortality with hazard ratios of 1.33 (95% CI, 1.21 to 1.47), 1.97 (95% CI, 1.70 to 2.20), 2.86 (95% CI, 2.45 to 3.34), and 3.22 (95% CI, 2.46 to 4.22) for prefrail, mildly frail, moderately frail, and severely frail, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Frailty status is a significant predictor of mortality in older veterans with MM. Assessment of frailty status using the readily available electronic medical records data in administrative data allows for assessment of prognosis.

Tooling nurses to assess complexity in routine home care practice: Derivation of a complexity index from the interRAI-HC

AIM

Home care nurses often use the Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care (interRAI-HC) to assess health needs. However, this tool does not assess complexity. This study proposes to derive a complexity index (CI) from the interRAI-HC using the operational definition of the dedicated COMID checklist (COmplexité Multidimensionnelle des prises en soins Infirmières à Domicile).

DESIGN

Data were collected at the baseline assessment of the fraXity study (N = 231, aged ≥ 65), which relied on an observational longitudinal design.

METHODS

Measures were the interRAI-HC, from which the CI binary variables were computed and the COMID, used as a reference.

RESULTS

Twenty-six CI variables were computed from the interRAI-HC, and all but three correlations were significant. The correlation between the CI score and the COMID score was ρ = 0.730 (p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The study demonstrates that complexity can be assessed directly from the interRAI-HC by deriving a CI.

Using elastic nets to estimate frailty burden from routinely collected national aged care data

OBJECTIVES

To (1) use an elastic net (EN) algorithm to derive a frailty measure from a national aged care eligibility assessment program; (2) compare the ability of EN-based and a traditional cumulative deficit (CD) based frailty measures to predict mortality and entry into permanent residential care; (3) assess if the predictive ability can be improved by using weighted frailty measures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A Cox proportional hazard model based EN algorithm was applied to the 2003-2013 cohort of 903 996 participants for selecting items to enter an EN based frailty measure. The out-of-sample predictive accuracy was measured by the area under the curve (AUC) from Cox models fitted to 80% training and validated on 20% testing samples.

RESULTS

The EN approach resulted in a 178-item frailty measure including items excluded from the 44-item CD-based measure. The EN based measure was not statistically significantly different from the CD-based approach in terms of predicting mortality (AUC 0.641, 95% CI: 0.637-0.644 vs AUC 0.637, 95% CI: 0.634-0.641) and permanent care entry (AUC 0.626, 95% CI: 0.624-0.629 vs AUC 0.627, 95% CI: 0.625-0.63). However, the weighted EN based measure statistically outperforms the weighted CD measure for predicting mortality (AUC 0.774, 95% CI: 0.771-0.777 vs AUC 0.757, 95% CI: 0.754-0.760) and permanent care entry (AUC 0.676, 95% CI: 0.673-0.678 vs AUC 0.671, 95% CI: 0.668-0.674).

CONCLUSIONS

The weighted EN and CD-based measures demonstrated similar prediction performance. The CD-based measure items are relevant to frailty measurement and easier to interpret. We recommend using the weighted and unweighted CD-based frailty measures.

Development and validation of a frailty index based on data routinely collected across multiple domains in NSW hospitals

OBJECTIVE(S)

To develop and validate a frailty index (FI) that covers multiple domains, using routine hospital data. To investigate the FI's validity, after excluding medication-related items (FI-ExMeds), for studies of frailty and polypharmacy.

METHODS

A FI was derived from routine NSW hospital data following standard published guidance. In a development cohort (151 inpatients ≥ 70 years), the FI was correlated with the Reported Edmonton Frail Scale (REFS) using Pearson's R. Validity and distribution of FI and FI-ExMeds, and correlation with each other, were evaluated in a validation cohort (999 inpatients ≥ 75 years).

RESULTS

The mean FI for the development cohort was 0.27 (SD 0.09). The FI showed moderate linear correlation with the REFS (n = 148, R = 0.52, P < .001). In the validation cohort, mean FI (n = 993) and FI-ExMeds (n = 990) were both 0.28 (SD 0.11). FI-ExMeds showed high linear correlation with the FI (n = 990, R = 0.99, P < .001).

CONCLUSION

This multi-domain FI is comparable to REFS, with adequate redundancy to exclude deficits for specific analyses.

Nutritional domains in frailty tools: Working towards an operational definition of nutritional frailty

Different methods have been proposed for the assessment of the nutritional status in frailty phenotypes. In the present narrative review article, we have summarized the number and specifications of nutritional items in existing frailty tools, in order to develop a possible means of assessment and operational definition of the nutritional frailty phenotype. In six different databases until December 2019, we searched for original articles regarding frailty tools (i.e., scales, indexes, scores, questionnaires, instruments, evaluations, screening, indicators), analyzing each tool regarding nutritional items. We identified 160 articles describing 71 frailty tools. Among the selected frailty tools, 54 were community-based (70 %), 17 hospital-based (22 %), 4 validated in long-term care institutions for older adults (LTCIOA) (5.1 %) and 2 validated in both community- and hospital-based settings, including LTCIOA (2.5 %). Fifty-two of these tools (73 %) included at least one nutritional item. Twenty-two (42 %) reported two or more nutritional items. The items were grouped in the following categories: A) anthropometric measurements, B) laboratory measurements, and C) other nutritional-related measurements. Anthropometric measurements stood out compared to all other items. Nutritional items are included in the majority of frailty tools, strengthening the concept that they may have a direct implication on an increased risk of adverse health-related outcomes in frail subjects. This supports the development of the concept of nutritional frailty as an independent frailty phenotype. Subsequent steps will be to assess the contribution of each nutritional item to a possible operational definition of nutritional frailty and define the items that may best identify this new frailty phenotype.

An interRAI-derived frailty index is associated with prior hospitalisations in older adults residing in retirement villages

OBJECTIVES

To develop and validate a frailty index (FI) from interRAI-Community Health Assessments (CHA) on older adults in retirement villages (RVs).

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional analysis of a current RV research study. A FI was generated using the cumulative deficit model. Health-care utilisation measures were acute, and all, hospitalisations 12 months before baseline assessment. Associations between FI and hospitalisations were explored using multivariable logistic regression to estimate odds ratio (OR).

RESULTS

Of 577 included residents, mean (SD) age was 81 (7) and 419 (73%) were female. Mean (SD) FI was 0.16 (0.09); 260 (45%) were mildly frail, and 108 (19%) moderate-severely frail. In multivariate-adjusted analysis, odds of acute hospitalisation for mild (OR = 3.3, P < .001) and moderate-severely frail (OR = 6.4, P < .001) were significantly higher than fit residents. Higher odds were also observed for all hospitalisations.

CONCLUSION

A considerable proportion of RV residents were moderately-severely frail. FI was associated with acute and all hospitalisations.

Frailty Index and functional level upon admission predict hospital outcomes: an interRAI-based cohort study of older patients in post-acute care hospitals

BACKGROUND

Geriatric assessment upon admission may reveal factors that contribute to adverse outcomes in hospitalized older patients. The purposes of this study were to derive a Frailty Index (FI-PAC) from the interRAI Post-Acute Care instrument (interRAI-PAC) and to analyse the predictive ability of the FI-PAC and interRAI scales for hospital outcomes.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study was conducted by combining patient data from interRAI-PAC with discharge records from two post-acute care hospitals. The FI-PAC was derived from 57 variables that fulfilled the Frailty Index criteria. Associations of the FI-PAC and interRAI-PAC scales (ADLH for activities of daily living, CPS for cognition, DRS for mood, and CHESS for stability of health status) with hospital outcomes (prolonged hospital stay ≥90 days, emergency department admission during the stay, and in-hospital mortality) were analysed using logistic regression and ROC curves.

RESULTS

The cohort included 2188 patients (mean age (SD) 84.7 (6.3) years) who were hospitalized in two post-acute care hospitals. Most patients (n = 1691, 77%) were discharged and sent home. Their median length of stay was 35 days (interquartile range 18-87 days), and 409 patients (24%) had a prolonged hospital stay. During their stay, 204 patients (9%) were admitted to the emergency department and 231 patients (11%) died. The FI-PAC was normally distributed (mean (SD) 0.34 (0.15)). Each increase of 0.1 point in the FI-PAC increased the likelihood of prolonged hospital stay (odds ratio [95% CI] 1.91 [1.73─2.09]), emergency admission (1.24 [1.11─1.37]), and in-hospital death (1.82 [1.63─2.03]). The best instruments for predicting prolonged hospital stay and in-hospital mortality were the FI-PAC and the ADLH scale (AUC 0.75 vs 0.72 and 0.73 vs 0.73, respectively). There were no differences in the predictive abilities of interRAI scales and the FI-PAC for emergency department admission.

CONCLUSIONS

The Frailty Index derived from interRAI-PAC predicts adverse hospital outcomes. Its predictive ability was similar to that of the ADLH scale, whereas other interRAI-PAC scales had less predictive value. In clinical practice, assessment of functional ability is a simple way to assess a patient's prognosis.

Medication use and cognitive impairment among residents of aged care facilities

BACKGROUND

Potentially inappropriate polypharmacy is common in residential aged care facilities (RACF). This is of particular concern among people with cognitive impairment who, compared with cognitively intact residents, are potentially more sensitive to the adverse effects of medications.

AIM

To compare the patterns of medication prescribing of RACF residents based on cognitive status.

METHODS

De-identified data collected during telehealth-mediated geriatric consultations with 720 permanent RACF residents were analysed. Residents were categorised into cognitively intact, mild to moderate impairment and severe impairment groups using the interRAI Cognitive Performance Scale. The number of all regular and when-required medications used in the past 3 days, the level of exposure to anti-cholinergic/sedative medications and potentially inappropriate medications and the use of preventive and symptom control medications were compared across the groups.

RESULTS

The median number of medications was 10 (interquartile range (IQR) 8-14). Cognitively intact residents were receiving significantly more medications (median (IQR) 13 (10-16)) than those with mild to moderate (10 (7-13)) or severe (9 (7-12)) cognitive impairment (P < 0.001). Overall, 82% of residents received at least one anti-cholinergic/sedative medication and 26.9% were exposed to one or more potentially inappropriate medications, although the proportions of those receiving such medications were not significantly different across the groups. Of 7658 medications residents were taking daily, 21.3% and 11.7% were classified as symptom control and preventive medications respectively with no significant difference among the groups in their use.

CONCLUSION

Our findings highlight the need for optimising prescribing in RACF residents, with particular attention to medications with anti-cholinergic effects.

Frailty as a predictor of adverse outcomes in hospitalized older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Frailty syndrome is prevalent among hospitalized older adults as are the occurrence of adverse outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated whether frailty in older adults at hospital admission predicts adverse outcomes. Manual (ProQuest, conferences annals and references) and electronic searches (PUBMED, EMBASE, Web of Science, Lilacs, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Google Scholar) were performed. We included prospective studies of hospitalized older adults. Primary outcomes were functional decline at hospital discharge and mortality after discharge. Other data were considered secondary outcomes. Methodological quality was evaluated by the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Twenty-eight papers were included, corresponding to 19 cohorts (5 cohorts for functional decline and 16 for mortality), with moderate to good methodological quality. Being frail [RR: 1.32 (95%CI: 1.04; 1.67)] and pre-frail [RR: 1.51 (95%CI: 1.05; 2.17)] are risk factors for functional decline compared with being nonfrail. Frail individuals had a relative risk for in-hospital mortality and mortality in medium- and long-term compared to nonfrail (in-hospital RR: 8.20, medium RR: 9.49 and long RR: 7.94) and pre-frail (in-hospital RR: 3.19, medium RR: 3.31 and long RR: 3.72). The overall mortality risk in frail individuals is 3.49 and 2.14 times compared to nonfrail and pre-frail, respectively. Length of hospital stay was higher for frail older adults (13.5 days) compared with pre-frail (10.5 days) and nonfrail (8.3 days). Therefore, being frail at hospital admission is a risk factor for in-hospital mortality, long hospital stay, functional decline at hospital discharge, and mortality in the medium- and long-term.

"There's More to Frail than That": Older New Zealanders and Health Professionals Talk about Frailty

There is general agreement that frailty is common and important in later life, but there is less agreement about what frailty is. Little is known about the extent to which practicing health professionals and older people hold a mutual understanding of frailty. Focus groups were held to engage older people and health professionals in discussion about what made them think that someone was frail. Eighteen older people took part across three focus groups, and se'venteen health professionals took part across another three focus groups. Both the health professionals and the older people talked about the experience of frailty as an interplay of physical, psychological, and social dimensions. Older people with frailty were seen as needing help and being vulnerable to adverse outcomes, but accepting help was positioned by older people as an adaptive choice. The experience of frailty was described as being mediated by the individual's psychological mindset, highlighting the importance of approaches that recognise strengths and resilience. A broader and more balanced understanding of frailty may help create more rounded and appropriate approaches to assessment and management.

Protocol of a case-control longitudinal study (fraXity) assessing frailty and complexity among Swiss home service recipients using interRAI-HC assessments

Background

The early screening of frail individuals and of patients with complex care needs are challenges that countries witnessing population aging face. Homecare nurses are actors of choice in meeting these challenges, yet they need means of identifying frail and complex patients in their routine practice. The fraXity study’s aim is to fill this gap by (1) proposing frailty and complexity computation algorithms derived from the interRAI-HC; (2) assessing the predictive validity of the proposed indices with respect to adverse health outcomes; and (3) identifying subgroups of the aged population for whom the early screening of frailty and complexity appears to be most relevant.

Methods

The study will rely on a prospective observational case-control longitudinal study. Three samples of individuals aged 65 or older living in the community will be considered: recipients of formal home care (case 1), of formal home assistance (case 2) and individuals free of formal home services (controls). All participants will receive interRAI-HC assessments at three measurement occasions, separated by six-month intervals. Baseline assessments will serve to derive frailty and complexity scores. Follow-ups will serve to assess the predictive validity of the proposed indices and to estimate the intra-individual change in frailty and complexity. Group comparisons will serve to identify subgroups of the population for whom the screening of frailty and complexity appears to be the most relevant.

Discussion

The expected results of the fraXity study are a) reliable computation algorithms for frailty and complexity scores derived from the interRAI-HC and b) clinical assessment protocols for use by homecare nurses. These outcomes should contribute to outfitting key actors of the health system with means of enhancing their part in a collective endeavor targeting the best care and quality of life for aged citizens.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03883425, registered on March 20, 2019.

The operationalization of fatigue in frailty scales: a systematic review

PURPOSE

To identify the different fatigue items in existing frailty scales.

METHODS

PubMed, Web of Knowledge and PsycINFO were systematically screened for frailty scales. 133 articles were included, describing 158 frailty scales. Fatigue items were extracted and categorized in 4 fatigue constructs: "mood state related tiredness", "general feeling of tiredness", "activity based feeling of tiredness" and "resistance to physical tiredness".

RESULTS

120 fatigue items were identified, of which 100 belonged to the construct "general feeling of tiredness" and only 9 to the construct "resistance to physical tiredness". 49,4% of the frailty scales included at least 1 fatigue item, representing 15 ± 9,3% of all items in these scales. Fatigue items have a significantly higher weight in single domain (dominantly physical frailty scales) versus multi domain frailty scales (21 ± 3.2 versus 10.6 ± 9.8%, p=<0,05).

CONCLUSION

Fatigue is prominently represented in frailty scales, covering a great diversity in fatigue constructs and underlying pathophysiological mechanisms by which fatigue relates to frailty. Although fatigue items were more prevalent and had a higher weight in physical frailty scales, the operationalization of fatigue leaned more towards psychological constructs. This review can be used as a reference for choosing a suitable frailty scale depending on the type of fatigue of interest.

Geriatric Physiology and the Frailty Syndrome

Understanding geriatric physiology is critical for successful perioperative management of older surgical patients. The frailty syndrome is evolving as an important, potentially modifiable process capturing a patient's biologic age and is more predictive of adverse perioperative outcomes than chronologic age. Use of frailty in risk stratification and perioperative decision-making allows providers to effectively diagnose, risk stratify, and treat patients in the perioperative setting. Further study is needed to develop a universal definition of frailty, to identify comprehensive yet feasible screening tools that allow for accurate detection of frailty in the perioperative setting, and to refine treatment programs for frail surgical patients.

Relationships between orthostatic hypotension, frailty, falling and mortality in elderly care home residents

BACKGROUND

Orthostatic hypotension (OH; profound falls in blood pressure when upright) is a common deficit that increases in incidence with age, and may be associated with falling risk. Deficit accumulation results in frailty, regarded as enhanced vulnerability to adverse outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the relationships between OH, frailty, falling and mortality in elderly care home residents.

METHODS

From the Minimum Data Set (MDS) document, a frailty index (FI-MDS) was generated from a list of 58 deficits, ranging from 0 (no deficits) to 1.0 (58 deficits). OH was evaluated from beat-to-beat blood pressure and heart rate (finger plethysmography) collected during a 15-min supine-seated orthostatic stress test. Retrospective and prospective falling rates (falls/year) were extracted from facility falls incident reports. All-cause 3-year mortality was determined. Data are reported as mean ± standard error.

RESULTS

Data were obtained from 116 older adults (aged 84.2 ± 0.9 years; 44% males) living in two long term care facilities. The mean FI-MDS was 0.36 ± 0.01; FI-MDS was correlated with age (r = 0.277; p = 0.003). Those who were frail (FI ≥ 0.27) had larger Initial (- 17.8 ± 4.2 vs - 6.1 ± 3.3 mmHg, p = 0.03) and Consensus (- 22.7 ± 4.3 vs - 11.5 ± 3.3 mmHg, p = 0.04) orthostatic reductions in systolic arterial pressure. Frail individuals had higher prospective and retrospective falling rates and higher 3-year mortality. Receiver operating characteristic curves evaluated the ability of FI-MDS alone to predict prospective falls (sensitivity 72%, specificity 36%), Consensus OH (sensitivity 68%, specificity 60%) and 3-year mortality (sensitivity 77%, specificity 49%). Kaplan Meier survival analyses showed significantly higher 3-year mortality in those who were frail compared to the non-frail (p = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Frailty can be captured using a frailty index based on MDS data in elderly individuals living in long term care, and is related to susceptibility to orthostatic hypotension, falling risk and 3-year mortality. Use of the MDS to generate a frailty index may represent a simple and convenient risk assessment tool for older adults living in long term care. Older adults who are both frail and have impaired orthostatic blood pressure control have a particularly high risk of falling and should receive tailored management to mitigate this risk.

Protocol for a prospective observational study to develop a frailty index for use in perioperative and critical care

INTRODUCTION

Frailty is of increasing importance to perioperative and critical care medicine, as the proportion of older patients increases globally. Evidence continues to emerge of the considerable impact frailty has on adverse outcomes from both surgery and critical care, which has led to a proliferation of different frailty measurement tools in recent years. Despite this, there remains a lack of easily implemented, comprehensive frailty assessment tools specific to these complex populations. Development of a frailty index using routinely collected hospital data, able to leverage the automated aspects of an electronic medical record, would aid risk stratification and benefit clinicians and patients alike.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This is a prospective observational study. 150 intensive care unit (ICU) patients aged ≥50 years and 200 surgical patients aged ≥65 years will be enrolled. The primary objective is to develop a frailty index. Secondary objectives include assessing its ability to predict in-hospital mortality and/or discharge to a new non-home location; the performance of the frailty index in predicting postoperative and ICU complications, as well as health-related quality of life at 6 months; to compare the performance of the frailty index against existing frailty measurement and risk stratification tools; and to assess its modification by patients' health assets.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study has been approved by the Melbourne Health Human Research Ethics Committee(20 January 2017, HREC/16/MH/321). Dissemination will be via international and national anaesthetic and critical care conferences, and publication in the peer-reviewed literature.

Medication use in older patients and age-blind approach: narrative literature review (insufficient evidence on the efficacy and safety of drugs in older age, frequent use of PIMs and polypharmacy, and underuse of highly beneficial nonpharmacological strategies)

INTRODUCTION

The importance of rational drug therapy is increasing with the aging of the population. Since one of the main reasons for inappropriate drug prescribing is also the "age-blind" approach, which results in ageist practices, this narrative literature review focuses on the description of the main barriers related to insufficient individualization of drug regimens associated with such age-blind approaches.

METHODOLOGY

A narrative literature review using the PubMed, WoS, Embase, and Scopus databases was conducted by the EU COST Action IS1402. Experts in different scientific fields from six countries (the Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Serbia, and Turkey) worked in four specific areas: (1) underrepresentation of older adults in clinical trials and clinical and ethical consequences; (2) insufficient consideration of age-related changes and geriatric frailty in the evaluation of the therapeutic value of drugs; (3) frequent prescribing of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs); and (4) frequent underuse of highly beneficial nonpharmacological strategies (e.g., exercise).

RESULTS

Older patients are underrepresented in clinical trials. Therefore, rigorous observational geriatric research is needed in order to obtain evidence on the real efficacy and safety of frequently used drugs, and e.g. developed geriatric scales and frailty indexes for claims databases should help to stimulate such research. The use of PIMs, unfortunately, is still highly prevalent in Europe: 22.6% in community-dwelling older patients and 49.0% in institutionalized older adults. Specific tests to detect the majority of age-related pharmacological changes are usually not available in everyday clinical practice, which limits the estimation of drug risks and possibilities to individualize drug therapy in geriatric patients before drug prescription. Moreover, the role of some nonpharmacological  strategies is highly underestimated in older adults in contrast to frequent use of polypharmacy. Among nonpharmacological strategies, particularly physical exercise was highly effective in reducing functional decline, frailty, and the risk of falls in the majority of clinical studies.

CONCLUSION

Several regulatory and clinical barriers contribute to insufficient knowledge on the therapeutic value of drugs in older patients, age-blind approach, and inappropriate prescribing. New clinical and observational research is needed, including data on comprehensive geriatric assessment and frailty, to document the real efficacy and safety of frequently used medications.

Frailty modifications and prognostic impact in older patients admitted in acute care

BACKGROUND

Frailty is a predictor of adverse outcomes in older subjects.

AIMS

The aims of this study are to (1) measure the frailty status and its changes occurring during the hospital stay, (2) determine the relationships among frailty and adverse outcomes.

METHODS

Frailty was assessed using a 46-item Frailty Index (FI) in 156 patients admitted to an Acute Geriatric Medicine Unit. The FI was calculated within 24 h from the hospital admission (aFI) and at his/her discharge (dFI). Patients were followed up to 12 months after the hospital discharge.

RESULTS

A statistically significant difference was reported between the aFI (0.31, IQR 0.19-0.44) and the dFI (0.29, IQR 0.19-0.40; p = 0.04). The aFI was directly associated with the risk of in-hospital death (OR = 5.9; 95% CI 2.0-17.5; p = 0.001), 1 year mortality (OR = 5.5, 95% CI 2.4-12.7, p < 0.001) and re-hospitalization (OR = 6.3, 95% CI 2.2-17.9, p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

Frailty is a strong predictor of negative endpoints in hospitalized older persons.

DISCUSSION

Frailty assessment from routinely collected clinical data may provide important insights about the biological status of the individual and promote the personalization of care.

A frailty index derived from a standardized comprehensive geriatric assessment predicts mortality and aged residential care admission

Background

Frailty in older adults is a condition characterised by a loss or reduction in physiological reserve resulting in increased clinical vulnerability. However, evidence suggests that frailty may be modifiable, and identifying frail older people could help better target specific health care interventions and services.

Methods

This was a regional longitudinal study to develop a frailty index for older adults living in Canterbury New Zealand. Participants included 5586 community dwelling older people that had an interRAI Minimum Data Set (MDS-HC) Home Care assessment completed between 2008 and 2012. The outcome measures were mortality and entry into aged residential care (ARC), after five years.

Results

Participants were aged between 65 and 101 (mean age was 82 years). The five-year mortality rate, including those who entered ARC, for this cohort was 67.1% (n = 3747). The relationship between the frailty index and both mortality and entry into ARC was significant (P < 0.001). At five years, 25.1% (n = 98) of people with a baseline frailty of < 0.1 had died compared with 28.2% (n = 22) of those with a frailty index of ≥0.5 (FS 5). Furthermore, 43.7% (n = 171) of people with a frailty index of < 0.1 were still living at home compared to 2.6% (n = 2) of those with a frailty index of ≥0.5.

Conclusion

A frailty index was created that predicts mortality, and admission into ARC. This index could help healthcare professionals and clinicians identify older people at risk of health decline and mortality, so that appropriate services and interventions may be put in place.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12877-018-1016-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Development and Testing of the interRAI Acute Care: A Standardized Assessment Administered by Nurses for Patients Admitted to Acute Care

Background:

Underpinning standards for developing comprehensive care in hospital is the need to identify, early in the admission process, functional and psychosocial issues which affect patient outcomes. Despite the value of comprehensive assessment of patients on admission, the process is often sub-optimal due to a lack of standardized assessment practices. This project aimed to develop a concise, integrated assessment for patients admitted to acute care and test its psychometric properties.

Methods:

Two international expert panels of clinicians and health scientists collaborated to establish design parameters. Using clinical observations and a variety of derivative applications sourced from the interRAI research collaborative repository, the panels constructed a draft instrument to examine feasibility, resource requirements, and inter-rater reliability. Field testing was conducted in Australia and Canada. Next, the system was revised to its final form, the interRAI Acute Care, after feedback and review from international interRAI members.

Results:

Constructed using 56 items, the interRAI Acute Care required a median of 15 minutes to complete. Inter-rater reliability tested on 130 paired assessments was substantial to almost perfect for 78% of the clinical items and moderate for the remaining 22% of items. A subset of 30 items from the admission assessment comprised the discharge assessment.

Discussion:

The interRAI Acute Care has been shown to be an efficient nursing assessment instrument with good psychometric properties. Implementation in a digital environment will enable documentation and care planning to comply with standards for quality of care in the general adult hospital population.