Screening of Hospitalized Elderly Patients for Frailty and Associated Co-morbid Conditions in Western Gujarat in India.

Abstract

Older patients admitted to hospitals have a greater impact on the healthcare system as the population ages. The relationship between the recovery of functional impairments and frailty status in geriatric care units is still not clear. Simple screening technologies are required in order to operationalize frailty management in this susceptible population due to these restrictions. Aim: The study aims to screen hospitalized older adults for frailty and associated co-morbid conditions in western Gujarat, India. This is an institutionally based cross-sectional study conducted on the elderly patients (aged 60 years or more) admitted at the tertiary-level government hospital of Jamnagar District of Gujarat State during the period of October 22 to December 22. The assessment was done with a structured questionnaire for FRAIL screen, the Rapid Cognitive Screen (RCS), Charles Co-morbidity Index, Geriatric Depression Scale-5 (GDS-5), and Short Form-12 (SF-12) Health Survey. The overall findings of this study reveal that of 124 participants 34 (27%) were frail, 52 (42%) were found to be a likelihood of depression by the GDS, and 29 (23%) were having dementia by RCS, respectively. In our study, we also found a statistically significant association between frailty and dementia (P value < 0.001). The present study implies the prevalence of frailty among old age elderly patients and its association with various socio-demographic and co-morbid conditions of the participants. Early identification of frailty and co-morbid conditions can help to prevent adverse health outcomes.