Table 3 Description of frailty measurement tools

Multidimensional ^b

Frailty Index

Calculated by counting the number of deficits across multiple domains out of a total list of potential deficits for that person.

Groningen Frailty Indicator

Tool consisting of fifteen questions embedded within the questionnaire to assess the prevalence of frailty. This instrument is aimed at determining the level of frailty through measuring loss of function in four domains: physical (mobility functions, multiple health problems, physical fatigue, vision and hearing), cognitive (cognitive dysfunction), social (emotional isolation) and psychological (depressed mood and feelings of anxiety).

Clinical Frailty Scale

A 9-point scale that summarizes the overall level of fitness or frailty of an older adult.

Not multidimensional ^c

Fried Frailty Phenotype

Defines frailty as the presence of five components: weakness, slowness, exhaustion, low physical activity, and unintentional weight loss.

Other frailty measurement tools ^d

Multidimensional

Kihon Checklist

25-item questionnaire including seven categories: daily life, physical ability, nutrition, oral condition, the extent to which one is housebound, cognitive status, and depression risk.

OHT (Orthoptic heart transplantation)

Frailty Screening Tool

Objective frailty tool developed for patients undergoing orthotopic heart transplantation incorporating age, BMI, comorbidities, laboratory values and functional status.

Multidimensional prognosis index

A predictive tool of mortality for hospitalised elderly patients based on a standardised Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment. It is based on information on functional, cognitive, and nutritional status, as well as medical and social factors.

Comprehensive frailty severity index

Derived from well documented surrogates of physical performance (Karnofsky performance scale), Nutrition (Modified Academy/ASPEN assessment), and severity of liver disease and inflammation (CONUT score).

Combined frailty

Composite 7-item measure, which includes modified Fried Frailty phenotype and domains of both depression and cognitive impairment

Not multidimensional

Liver Frailty Index

Tool composed of 3 performance-based tests (grip strength, chair stands, and balance).

Short Physical Performance Battery

An objective assessment tool for evaluating lower extremity functioning in older persons. Consists of 3 components measured, ability stand in different positions, timed walking trials, sit to stand times.

Karnofsky Performance Status

Assessment tool for functional impairment. A 0-100 scale that summarizes the physical function of a patient

Braden Scale

Developed for early identification of patients at risk for forming pressure sores. The scale is composed of six subscales that reflect: sensory perception, skin moisture, activity, mobility, friction and shear, and nutritional status.

The frailty risk score

Composed of 16 biopsychosocial factors including fatigue, weakness, dyspnea, chronic pain, falls, vision impairment, urinary incontinence, and nutrition issues plus biomarkers: C-reactive protein, white blood cell count, hemoglobin, and albumin.

CES (Center for Epidemiological Studies)

depression scale

A 20-item measure that asks caregivers to rate how often over the past week they experienced symptoms associated with depression, such as restless sleep, poor appetite, and feeling lonely.

Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)

A cognitive screening test consisting of 30 questions. Testing the domains of Orientation, Memory, Executive function/visuospatial ability, Language, Abstraction, Animal naming, Attention and clock-drawing test.

FRAIL scale

Five self-reported questions assessing fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illness, and loss of weight

5 item Self-reported test

5 item test of physical frailty including: Unintentional weight loss, exhaustion, physical activity, activities of daily living, and instrumental ADLs

Muscle wasting

Muscle measurements collected from CT scans. Psoas muscle size (cross-sectional area, in mm2) and quality (density, Hounsfield units [HU]), which included both left and right psoas muscles, were measured at the L4 vertebral level.

DMI-10 (depression in the medically ill)

The DMI-10 is a 10-item questionnaire that is designed to measure depression in the medically ill and avoids the use of items such as fatigue, sleep, appetite disturbance and weight change that are common to both depression and many illnesses.

Frailty index for people living with HIV [137]

A frailty index designed for patients with HIV. Contains 30 relatively nonspecific health variables including co-morbidities, BMI, biochemistry, HIV viral load, CD4 + count.

Functional metrics

Grip Strength

A simple measurement of grip strength.

Gait Speed

A simple measure of gait speed.

30-Second Chair Sit-Stand

A count of how many stands from a chair a person can complete in 30 s.

Timed Up and Go

The time it takes to stand from a sitting position, walk three metres, turn around and sit back down.