Predictive validity of the Short Functional Geriatric Evaluation for mortality, hospitalization and institutionalization in older adults: A retrospective cohort survey.
Giuseppe Liotta, Grazia Lorusso, Olga Madaro and 6 others
PMID 36860714WHAT IT FOUND
Higher frailty scores in 8,561 community-dwelling adults over 75 were linked to greater risk of death, hospitalization, and institutionalization.
The score also flagged risk in those without physical or psychological impairment, but was weakest for hospitalization.
Key findings
01Compared with robust people, death risk increased with frailty level: pre-frail RR 1.40, frail RR 2.78, and very frail RR 5.41.
02Hospitalization was also more likely in higher frailty groups: pre-frail OR 1.31, frail OR 1.67, and very frail OR 2.08.
03Institutionalization showed the largest reported increases: pre-frail OR 3.63, frail OR 9.52, and very frail OR 10.62.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was observational, so it shows prediction and association, not that using the SFGE improves outcomes. Participants were in a community program that also included telephone calls, home visits, organized-activity meetings, variable follow-up contacts, and individualized care plans, so the questionnaire's effect alone cannot be separated. Diseases and comorbidities not captured by the questionnaire were not available, so frailty may partly reflect illness burden. 1,566 people (18.3%) were lost to follow-up for hospitalization and institutionalization information. The sample was limited to people over 75 living in cities running the Long Live Elderly program, not a random sample of all older adults. The SFGE was administered by non-health personnel, so this does not show how health professionals would perform with it. Construct validity was said to be under evaluation in a parallel paper, so this paper focuses on predictive validity.
Declared interests
The paper states nothing to declare for funding and no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the SFGE itself improves outcomes. It was used in a program that also included telephone calls, home visits, organized-activity meetings, variable follow-up contacts, and individualized care plans.