title: Feasibility of Using Information Derived from a Care Partner to Develop a Frailty Index Based on Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Frailty is a state of increasing vulnerability that places an individual at high risk for adverse health outcomes. The best approach for frailty measurement in clinical practice has not been resolved. Frailty can be measured by deficit accumulation and be derived from a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). In busy clinical practice, it may not be feasible to gather this information entirely from patients, particularly from those with cognitive decline.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We describe the feasibility of a frailty index based upon a care partner derived CGA (CP-CGA). In addition, we sought to establish the acceptability of the questionnaire and explore whether care partners felt that the provided information contribute to patient assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional data analysis of 99 community dwelling older adults attending geriatric ambulatory care clinics at a single tertiary care center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Care partners completed the CP-CGA and a Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS; Range 1 -Very fit- to 9 -Terminally ill). We evaluated the time to complete and item completeness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of patients was 81.3±5.7 years. Most were women (n=54), widowed, lived in their own home, with a median CFS of 5 (Mildly Frail). The care partner respondent was usually an offspring. Item completeness was 95% with a mean time to complete of 15.5±8.6 minutes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CP-CGA seems feasible for gathering information that would be integral towards determining frailty by deficit accumulation. Future inquiries will evaluate its feasibility in other settings and validity as a form of frailty assessment.
authors.affiliation: Judah Goldstein, Dalhousie Division of Geriatric Medicine, Veteran Memorial Building, 1421- 5955 Veterans Memorial Lane, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 2E1, Tel: 902-473-4994, Fax: 902-473-1050, Email: judah.goldstein@dal.ca.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Hubbard
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moorhouse
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Andrew