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Screening for markers of frailty and perceived risk of adverse outcomes using the Risk Instrument for Screening in
Rónán O'Caoimh1, Yang Gao, Anton Svendrovski
1Centre for Gerontology and Rehabilitation, University College Cork, St Finbarrs Hospital, Douglas Rd, Cork City, Ireland. rocaoimh@hotmail.com.
BMC Geriatrics
|September 21, 2014
Summary
Frailty and functional decline are common in older adults. The Risk Instrument for Screening in the Community (RISC) identified frailty, cognitive, and functional status as key risk markers for adverse outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Functional decline and frailty are prevalent in community-dwelling older adults, elevating risks of adverse health outcomes.
- Investigating frailty-associated risk factors and their distribution based on perceived risk severity is crucial for this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of frailty-associated risk factors in community-dwelling older adults.
- To analyze the distribution of these risk factors according to perceived risk severity using the Risk Instrument for Screening in the Community (RISC).
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 803 community-dwelling older adults were assessed by public health nurses (PHNs).
- Frailty was measured using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), and risk for institutionalization, hospitalization, or death within one year was assessed using the RISC (scores 1-5).
- PHNs also indicated if they perceived patients as frail prior to formal scoring.
Main Results:
- 54% of older adults were categorized as frail by CFS (score ≥5), and 42% were perceived as frail by PHNs.
- Using the RISC, 4.3% were high risk for institutionalization, 14.5% for hospitalization, and 2.7% for death.
- Frailty strongly correlated with functional impairment (r=-0.80, p<0.001). Age, gender, and living alone showed inconsistent associations with perceived risk.
Conclusions:
- The majority of community-dwelling older adults in the sample were perceived as low risk for adverse outcomes.
- Frailty, cognitive impairment, and functional status are significant markers for perceived risk.
- Age, gender, and social isolation were not reliable indicators for triaging community dwellers; further validation of the RISC is needed.
