Development of a functional assessment questionnaire for geriatric patients: the Comprehensive Older Persons'...

Several sources of data were used to identify questions worthy of inclusion in a functional assessment questionnaire for older patients. Community hospital use of the Functional Assessment Inventory was reviewed to identify questions that discriminated between inpatients and outpatients. Repeated administrations of the Older Americans Resources and Services questionnaire with elderly patients were reviewed to identify questions that discriminated between community and nursing home status and predicted nursing home placement. Twenty clinicians providing geriatric care identified clinically important questions in a modified Delphi survey. Questions were retained if they: were considered clinically essential; discriminated between inpatients and outpatients and between independent living and nursing home status; predicted nursing home placement; and showed changes in responses over 6 months that predicted subsequent nursing home placement. These questions were organized into a brief, clinically relevant functional assessment questionnaire, known as the Comprehensive Older Persons' Evaluation (COPE), that may facilitate the efficient provision of geriatric care.