New Frailty Index may Help Resolve Adverse Outcomes in Seniors

Novel frailty index shows promise in determining how acute illness affects functional capacity in senior patients admitted to the hospital. The findings of the study are published in the CMAJ.// Understanding how to measure seniors' frailty in the context of their illness may help in providing them with specific supports after discharge from hospital.

Researchers used routine laboratory tests to create a frailty index (FI-Laboratory) linked to hospital outcomes data based on a group of adults admitted to University College Hospital, London, UK. A higher score on the FI-Laboratory was associated with an 18% increased likelihood of readmission, and 45% increased likelihood of death when accounting for other health factors.

"Assessing clinical frailty in the acute care setting is difficult," writes Dr. Samuel Searle, Dalhousie University and MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, with coauthors. "The FI-Laboratory can help to identify complex, acutely ill older adults at hospital admission who have accumulated multiple health deficits and are at an increased risk of adverse outcomes."

"By quantifying both acute and chronic deficits, the score may draw attention to the risk that is not always apparent clinically," write the authors.

The authors note that although the FI-Laboratory is being studied in several clinical settings, it is not yet known whether it will help improve clinical outcomes for patients.

Source-Eurekalert