Description and validation of a geriatric multidimensional graphical instrument for promoting longitudinal evaluation

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Health Assessment Tools
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Standardized multidimensional geriatric assessment instruments face adoption challenges due to professional consensus gaps.
• The ValGraf tool was developed to address feasibility and requirement concerns in geriatric care.
• Existing assessment tools may lack comprehensive evaluation across health and social care domains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the ValGraf instrument for its acceptability, concurrent validity, and factorial structure.
• To compare ValGraf's assessment of functional and cognitive impairments with established measures.
• To determine the psychometric properties of ValGraf for use in nursing home populations.

Main Methods:

• Concurrent validity was assessed by comparing ValGraf with the Katz index (activities of daily living) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (cognition).
• Acceptability and concurrent validity were evaluated using 210 nursing home residents assessed by two independent nursing teams.
• Factorial structure was analyzed using data from 8280 nursing home residents assessed by geriatricians.

Main Results:

• ValGraf showed near-total agreement with the Katz index (r=0.96) for independence in daily living.
• ValGraf demonstrated very good agreement with the MMSE (r=0.73) for cognitive status.
• Factor analysis identified 13 coherent factors explaining 53% of the total variance, indicating a robust structure.

Conclusions:

• The ValGraf instrument is acceptable, comprehensive, and criterion valid for assessing daily activities and cognitive status in geriatric populations.
• ValGraf possesses a coherent factorial structure, supporting its reliability and utility.
• The findings support ValGraf's potential as a valuable tool in geriatric care settings.