Tracking tool for frailty: ABCDEF

Geriatr Psychol Neuropsychiatr Vieil. 2016 Sep 1;14(3):287-95. doi: 10.1684/pnv.2016.0622.

Abstract

The aging population leads to psychological, medical and social reflection for optimal care of the elderly, especially characterized by a frailty state. The frailty is the cause of morbi-mortality require screening to anticipate these complications. The objective was to evaluate the statistical performance and feasibility of the tool "ABCDEF" to screen frailty defined by Fried's criteria. A prospective multicenter study including 300 ambulatory elderly consultants was conducted. ABCDEF appears feasible without major prior training or special equipment by any doctor or caregiver during an assessment in 98% of consultants. His sensitivity to detect frailty, is of 75% and specificity of 64%. The frailty tracking threshold is 3 criteria (6). Its negative predictive value is interesting because it eliminates the hypothesis of frailty in 91% of cases. This tracking tool requires, when abnormal, further geriatric assessment. It provides a standardized and normative approach to describe frailty whose frequency is high in people older than 80 and whose consequences are major.

Keywords: elderly; frailty; geriatric assessment; screening.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Female
  • Frail Elderly / psychology*
  • Frail Elderly / statistics & numerical data*
  • Geriatric Assessment / methods*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mass Screening
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity