Targeted Geriatric Assessment for Fast-Paced Healthcare Settings: Development, Validity, and Reliability

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Busy healthcare settings pose challenges for comprehensive geriatric assessments.
• Screening tools are needed to efficiently identify geriatric syndromes in older adults.
• The Targeted Geriatric Assessment (TaGA) was developed to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and examine the validity and reliability of the Targeted Geriatric Assessment (TaGA).
• To assess the TaGA's suitability for use in time-constrained healthcare environments.

Main Methods:

• Expert consensus (Delphi technique) was used to develop the 10-domain TaGA.
• Construct validity was assessed using the Frailty Index (FI) and Identification of Seniors at Risk (ISAR).
• Interrater reliability and completion time were evaluated in a subsample.

Main Results:

• The TaGA demonstrated high correlation with the FI (Spearman = 0.79) and better discrimination of frailty than ISAR (AUC = 0.84).
• Excellent interrater reliability was found (ICC = 0.92).
• The mean administration time was 9.5 minutes.

Conclusions:

• The TaGA is a valid and reliable instrument for screening geriatric syndromes.
• Its efficiency makes it suitable for fast-paced healthcare settings.
• Further research should explore its predictive value and impact on patient care.