Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Mar;64(3):196-202.
doi: 10.11622/smedj.2022020. Epub 2022 Feb 10.

Frailty prevalence and its associations in a subacute geriatric ward in Singapore

Christine Yuanxin Chen  1 , Thulasi Chandran  2 , Vivian Cantiller Barrera  1 , Rachelle Tumbokon Tan-Pantanao  1 , Tanya Joy Zapata Quicho  1 , Zin Tun Thant  1 , Kiat Sern Goh  1
Affiliations

Frailty prevalence and its associations in a subacute geriatric ward in Singapore

Christine Yuanxin Chen et al. Singapore Med J. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Introduction: Our aim was to study the prevalence of frailty and its associated factors in a subacute geriatric ward.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 167 participants between June 2018 and June 2019. Baseline demographics and participants' Mini Nutritional Assessment, Geriatric Depression Scale, Mini Mental State Examination, Charlson's Comorbidity Index and LACE index scores were obtained. Functional measurements such as modified Barthel's Index scores and hand grip strength (HGS) were taken. Frailty was assessed using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and the FRAIL scale. Data on history of healthcare utilisation, medications, length of stay, selected blood investigations and presence of geriatric syndromes were also collected.

Results: The prevalence of pre-frailty (CFS 4) and frailty (CFS ≥ 5) was 16.2% and 63.4%, respectively. There were significant associations between CFS and age (pre-frail vs. non-frail: odds ratio [OR] 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.25, P = 0.006; frail vs. non-frail: OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.15, P = 0.021), HGS at discharge (frail vs. non-frail: OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.82-0.99, P = 0.025), serum albumin (frail vs. non-frail: OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.82-0.99, P = 0.035) and the presence of urinary incontinence (frail vs. non-frail: OR 3.03, 95% CI 1.19-7.77, P = 0.021).

Conclusion: Frailty is highly prevalent in the subacute geriatric setting and has many associated factors. In this study, independent factors associated with frailty were age, HGS at discharge, serum albumin and urinary incontinence. This has implications for future resource allocation for frail older inpatients and may help direct further research to study the effectiveness of frailty-targeted interventions.

Keywords: Albumin; frailty; hand grip strength; subacute; urinary incontinence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Consort diagram shows the flow of subjects screened, enrolled and included in the analysis. AOR: at own risk, CFS: Clinical Frailty Scale, MMSE: Mini Mental State Examination, MNA: Mini Nutritional Assessment
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Fried LP, Tangen CM, Walston J, Newman AB, Hirsch C, Gottdiener J, et al. Frailty in older adults: Evidence for a phenotype. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2001;56:M146–56. - PubMed
    1. Rockwood K, Mitnitski A. Frailty defined by deficit accumulation and geriatric medicine defined by frailty. Clin Geriatr Med. 2011;27:17–26. - PubMed
    1. Hoogendijk EMO, Afilalo J, Ensrud KE, Kowal P, Onder G, Fried LP. Frailty: Implications for clinical practice and public health. Lancet. 2019;394:1365–75. - PubMed
    1. Dent E, Martin FC, Bergman H, Woo J, Romero-Ortuno R, Walston JD. Management of frailty: Opportunities, challenges, and future directions. Lancet. 2019;394:1376–86. - PubMed
    1. Collard RM, Boter H, Schoevers RA, Oude Voshaar RC. Prevalence of frailty in community-dwelling older persons: A systematic review. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2012;60:1487–92. - PubMed