A brief risk stratification tool to predict functional decline in older adults discharged from emergency departments.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effectiveness of the six-item Triage Risk Screening Tool (TRST) to assess baseline functional status and predict subsequent functional decline in older community-dwelling adults discharged home from the emergency department (ED).


METHODS
Secondary data analysis of a randomized, controlled trial.


METHODS
EDs of two urban academic hospitals.


METHODS
Six hundred fifty community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older presenting to the ED and discharged home. Patients were categorized a priori as "high risk" if they had cognitive impairment or two or more risk factors on the TRST.


METHODS
Functional status: summed activity of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) scores at baseline, 30 days, and 120 days. Self-perceived physical health: standardized physical health component of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Functional decline: loss of one or more ADLs and one or more IADLs from ED baseline at 30 and 120 days. Decline in self-perceived physical health: follow-up SF-36 standardized physical health component scores four or more points lower than baseline.


RESULTS
TRST scores correlated with baseline ADL impairments, IADL impairments, and self-perceived physical health at all endpoints (P<.001). A TRST score of two or more was moderately predictive of decline in ADLs or IADLs (30-day ADL area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)=0.64; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.56-0.72; 120-day ADL AUC=0.66; 95% CI=0.58-0.74) but not perceived physical health.


CONCLUSIONS
The TRST identifies baseline functional impairment in older ED patients and is moderately predictive of subsequent functional decline after an initial ED visit. The TRST provides a valid proxy measure for assessing functional status in the ED and may be useful in identifying high-risk patients who would benefit from referrals for further evaluation or surveillance upon ED discharge.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA. husteyf@ccf.org
Fredric M
FM
Hustey
Lorraine C
LC
Mion
Jason T
JT
Connor
Charles L
CL
Emerman
James
J
Campbell
Robert M
RM
Palmer
D000368:Aged; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D004638:Emergency Treatment; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010351:Patient Discharge; D018570:Risk Assessment