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. 2022 Jul 20;22(1):604.
doi: 10.1186/s12877-022-03287-x.

Validation of clinical frailty scale in Chinese translation

Yi-Chun Chou  1 , Hsiao-Hui Tsou  2 , Ding-Cheng Derrick Chan  1   3 , Chiung-Jung Wen  1   4 , Feng-Ping Lu  1   3 , Kun-Pei Lin  1   3 , Meng-Chen Wu  1   5 , Yung-Ming Chen  3   6 , Jen-Hau Chen  7   8
Affiliations

Validation of clinical frailty scale in Chinese translation

Yi-Chun Chou et al. BMC Geriatr. .

Abstract

Background: Identification of frailty is crucial to guide patient care for the elderly. The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is a reliable, synthesis and clinical judgment-based tool. However, a validated Chinese version of CFS (CFS-C) is lacking. The aim of this study is to describe the translation process of CFS into traditional Chinese and to evaluate its reliability and validity in a geriatric study population in Taiwan.

Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 221 geriatric outpatients aged 65 years or older at a medical center in Taipei, Taiwan. The Chinese version of CFS was produced following Brislin's translation model. Weighted kappa for agreement and Kendall's tau for correlation were used to assess inter-rater reliability (a subgroup of 52 outpatients) between geriatricians and one research assistant, and validity tests (221 outpatients) by comparing CFS-C with Fried frailty phenotype and Frailty Index based on Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (FI-CGA). Correlation between CFS-C and other geriatric conditions were also assessed.

Results: The inter-rater reliability revealed moderate agreement (weighted kappa = 0.60) and strong correlation (Kendall's tau = 0.67). For criterion validity, CFS-C categorisation showed fair agreement (weighted kappa = 0.37) and significant correlation (Kendall's tau = 0.46) with Fried frailty phenotype, and higher agreement (weighted kappa = 0.51) and correlation (Kendall's tau = 0.63) with FI-CGA categorisation. CFS-C was significantly correlated with various geriatric assessments, including functional disability, physical performance, hand grip, comorbidity, cognition, depression, and nutrition status. No significant correlation was found between CFS-C and appendicular muscle mass.

Conclusions: The CFS-C demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability in Chinese older adults in Taiwan. Development of CFS-C enhanced consistency and accuracy of frailty assessment, both in research and clinical practice.

Keywords: Clinical frailty scale; Elderly; Frailty; Validation studies.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Chinese version of Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS-C)
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