Abstract
BackgroundFrailty, a common clinical syndrome in older adults associated with increased risk of poor health outcomes, has been retrospectively calculated in previous publications; however, the reliability of retrospectively assigned frailty scores has not been established. The aim of this study was to see if frailty scores, based on chart review data, agreed with clinician-determined scores based on a comprehensive geriatric assessment.MethodsPer standard practice, all patients seen by one nurse clinician (JW) from the Southwestern Ontario Regional Geriatric Program, a tertiary care-based outreach service, between August 15, 2013 and December 31, 2015 received a comprehensive geriatric assessment which included the assignment of an interview-based Clinical Frailty Scale score (CFS-I). Subsequently, a medical student researcher (JD), blinded to the CFS-I, assigned each consenting patient a frailty score based on chart review data (CFS-C). The inter-rater reliability of the CFS-I and CFS-C was then determined.ResultsOf the 41 consented patients, 39 had both a CFS-I and CFSC score. The median CFS score was 6, indicating patients were moderately frail and required assistance for some basic activities of daily living. Cohen’s kappa coefficient was 0.64, indicating substantial agreement.ConclusionCFS scores can be reliably assigned retrospectively, thereby strengthening the utility of this measure.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
