Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026
05:53
Measuring Frailty in HIV-infected Individuals. Identification of Frail Patients is the First Step to Amelioration and Reversal of Frailty
Published on: July 24, 2013
Framework for evaluating disease severity measures in older adults with comorbidity
Cynthia M Boyd1, Carlos O Weiss, Jeff Halter
1Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. cyboyd@jhmi.edu
Summary
Existing disease severity classification systems often fail to adequately address multiple concurrent conditions (comorbidity) in older adults. Refinements are needed for better patient care and research in multimorbidity.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Clinical Epidemiology
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Assessing health and function in older adults requires accounting for concurrent conditions.
- Existing disease severity classification systems were not designed for evaluating multiple conditions (comorbidity).
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a framework for evaluating severity classification systems for chronic diseases.
- To assess the utility of current systems in the context of multiple conditions.
Main Methods:
- Developed a framework to evaluate classification systems based on goals, criteria, and reliability/validity.
- Considered the balance between system utility and associated burdens/costs.
Main Results:
- Disease severity classification systems vary widely and were not intended for comorbidity assessment.
- Challenges exist in using disparate systems to assess individual disease severity or global burden in multimorbidity.
Conclusions:
- Current severity classification approaches are generally inadequate for addressing comorbidity.
- Refining existing systems and thoughtfully applying them can improve the study and treatment of multimorbidity.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
01:18Factors Affecting Illness
When a person's physical, emotional, intellectual, social development or spiritual functioning is compromised, this deviation from a healthy normal state is called illness. Illness creates stress that in turn harms individuals. Irritation, anger, denial, hopelessness, and fear are behavioral and emotional changes an individual experiences in the phases of illness. A variety of factors influence a person's health and well-being.
For instance, risk factors are connected to illness, disability,...
For instance, risk factors are connected to illness, disability,...
01:18Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion
In geriatric patients, renal physiology undergoes significant changes, including diminished renal blood flow and a lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR), leading to alterations in medication clearance. Drugs such as aminoglycoside antibiotics, lithium, and digoxin, which rely on glomerular filtration for removal from the body, particularly impact pharmacokinetics. These drugs tend to have slower clearance rates in older adults, necessitating careful dosage considerations.Evaluation of renal...
01:27Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-IV: Assessement and Diagnostic Studies
Assessing and diagnosing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) involves a detailed approach that includes a comprehensive review of medical history, physical examination, and a variety of diagnostic tests. This thorough evaluation is essential to ensure an accurate diagnosis and guide effective management strategies.
Medical History
Medical History
01:17Classification of Illness
The meaning of illness is individualized to each person who experiences an alteration in health. In contrast, disease is a medical term indicating a pathological change in the structure and function of the body or mind. It is a condition that has specific symptoms and boundaries.
An illness is a response to a disease in which the person's level of functioning is changed compared with a previous level. The general classification of illness includes acute and chronic.
Acute illness is severe and...
An illness is a response to a disease in which the person's level of functioning is changed compared with a previous level. The general classification of illness includes acute and chronic.
Acute illness is severe and...