Tracking frailty in older adults with systemic arterial hypertension through different instruments

Abstract

Objective To compare the degree of agreement, correlation, and accuracy between the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) and the Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index-20 (IVCF-20) instruments in older adults with systemic arterial hypertension (SAH). Method Cross-sectional household study with older adults from Montes Claros, MG. This study included only individuals with SAH whose data were collected from November 2016 to February 2017. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were determined. The Kappa statistic analyzed agreement and reliability, while the Pearson coefficient evaluated the correlation between the instruments. Results A total of 281 individuals with hypertension were included in this study. It was found that the prevalence of frailty was 31.3% according to the EFS and 22.1% according to the IVCF-20. The Kappa statistic was 0.604, and the Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.621 (p<0.001). The accuracy was 84.34%. Conclusion The EFS and IVCF-20 instruments verified moderate agreement and reliability, strong positive correlation, and good accuracy. The results confirm the importance of standardizing the instrument to assess frailty in older adults with hypertension. The appropriate assessment of frailty aims to provide care focused on prevention and promotion that can prevent worsening health status and complications of arterial hypertension.