Abstract
Frailty represents one of the most relevant geriatric syndromes in the 21st century and is a predictor of adverse outcomes in hospitalized older adult, such as, functional decline (FD). This study aimed to examine if frailty, evaluated with the Frailty Index (FI), can predict FD during and after hospitalization (3 and 6 months). Secondary data analysis of a prospective cohort study of 101 hospitalized older adults was performed. The primary outcome was FD at discharge, 3 and 6 months. The FI was created from an original database using 40 health deficits. Functional decline models for each time-point were examined using a binary logistic regression. The prevalence of frailty was 57.4% with an average score of 0.25 (±0.11). Frail patients had significant and higher values for functional decline and social support for all time periods and more hospital readmission in the 3 month period. Multivariable regression analysis showed that FI was a predictor of functional decline at discharge (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.02–1.14) and 3-month (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.01–1.09) but not 6-month (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.99–1.09) follow-up. Findings suggest that frailty at admission of hospitalized older adults can predict functional decline at discharge and 3 months post-discharge.
Highlights
Frailty represents one of the most relevant geriatric syndromes
The results showed that frail and pre-frail older adults have 1.32 and 1.51, respectively, more risk of functional decline during hospitalization as compared with non-frail older adults [6]
This study aimed to examine if frailty, measured with the Frailty Index (FI), can predict functional decline during and after hospitalization (3 and 6 months after discharge)
Summary
Frailty represents one of the most relevant geriatric syndromes. Various definitions and approaches are represented in the literature [1]. The other described frailty as a state of accelerated deficit accumulations [5]. Both perspectives agree that frailty is a multifactorial condition, that compromises physiological reserve and is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality among older adults, especially in the cohort group ≥70 years. Reviews clearly demonstrated that frailty was a predictor of adverse outcomes including disability, falls, delirium, hospitalization and mortality [5,6,7]. The majority of these studies were conducted with community-dwelling older adults or long-term care residents, rather than hospitalized older adults. The prevalence of frailty in acute care setting was significantly higher, with a mean prevalence of 49% and a range from 34% to 69%, varying by type
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