J Korean Acad Community Health Nurs.  2011 Sep;22(3):302-314. 10.12799/jkachn.2011.22.3.302.

Validation of Instruments to Classify the Frailty of the Elderly in Community

• Lee I
• Park YI
• Park E
• Lee SH
• Jeong IS

• KMID: 2292842
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12799/jkachn.2011.22.3.302

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study aimed to validate instruments to classify the frailty of Korean elderly people in community.
METHODS
For this study, 632 elders were selected from community-based elderly houses and home visiting registries, and data on frailty were collected using three instruments during November, 2008. The Korean Frail Scale (KFS) was composed of 10 domains with the maximum score of 20. The Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) had 10 domains with the maximum score of 17. The 25_Japan Frail Scale (25_JFS) was composed of 6 domains with the maximum score of 25. Internal consistency was measured with Cronbach's alpha. Sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) of ROC were measured to see validity with long-term care insurance grade as a gold standard.
RESULTS
The Cronbach's alpha was .72 for KFS, .55 for EFS, and .80 for 25_JFS. Sensitivity, specificity, and AUC were 70.0%, 83.2%, and .83, respectively, at cutting point 10.5 for the KFS, 50.0%, 80.9%, and .66, respectively, at 8.5 for EFS, and 80.0%, 85.9%, and .86, respectively, at 12.5 for 25_JFS.
CONCLUSION
KFS and three JFS showed favorable internal consistency and predictive validity. Further longitudinal studies are recommended to confirm predictive validity.

Keyword

Frail elderly; Sensitivity; Specificity; Area under curve

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Area Under Curve
Frail Elderly
House Calls
Humans
Insurance, Long-Term Care
Longitudinal Studies
Registries
Sensitivity and Specificity

Figure

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  Figure 1 Receiver operating characteristics curves and area under the curves (AUC) for upper limit (a) and for lower limit of frailty (b).

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