Swiss Frailty Network and Repository: protocol of a Swiss Personalized Health Network's driver project observational...

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Health Informatics
• Clinical Epidemiology

Background:

• Early identification of frailty in older adults is crucial for improving healthcare outcomes, particularly in acute care settings.
• Existing clinical instruments for frailty assessment have limitations, and evidence on optimal methods in acute care is conflicting.
• Electronic Health Records (EHRs) offer a promising avenue for frailty research and patient care due to their widespread utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an electronic Frailty Index (eFI) using routinely available EHR data.
• To investigate the predictive value of the eFI for clinical outcomes such as length of stay and in-hospital mortality in older adults.
• To compare the eFI with a traditional test-based clinical Frailty Instrument in acute care settings.

Main Methods:

• Development of an eFI from routinely collected EHR data within the Swiss Frailty Network and Repository (SFNR).
• Analysis of a study sample of 1000-1500 hospital patients aged 65 years and older.
• Examination of the correlation between the eFI and a clinical Frailty Instrument.

Main Results:

• The study will report on the characteristics and usability of the first nationwide eFI in Switzerland.
• The predictive value of the eFI for length of stay and in-hospital mortality will be assessed.
• Correlation analysis will compare the eFI with a clinical Frailty Instrument.

Conclusions:

• The development of a nationwide eFI from EHR data has the potential to enhance frailty assessment in older adults.
• This research will provide insights into the utility of eFI for predicting adverse outcomes in acute care.
• The findings will contribute to the advancement of personalized health research and geriatric care in Switzerland.