Comparing the prognostic value of geriatric health indicators: a population-based study.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to compare the predictive accuracy of five geriatric health indicators, including walking speed, for mortality, hospitalizations, and healthcare contacts among older adults.
Results Summary
Walking speed (WS) showed high accuracy in predicting 3-year and 5-year mortality (AUC 0.85), comparable to other comprehensive indicators like the frailty index and Health Assessment Tool. However, it was less predictive of unplanned hospitalizations and healthcare contacts compared to other indicators.
Population
3,363 individuals aged 60+ from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified (predictive accuracy assessed over 3-year and 5-year periods)
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
frailty index (FI) | increase | 3-year mortality | people aged 60+ | AUC(95%CI) 0.84 (0.82-0.86) | showed the best accuracy | #1 |
walking speed (WS) | increase | 3-year mortality | people aged 60+ | AUC(95%CI) 0.85 (0.83-0.87) | showed the best accuracy | #2 |
Health Assessment Tool (HAT) | increase | 3-year mortality | people aged 60+ | AUC(95%CI) 0.87 (0.85-0.88) | showed the best accuracy | #3 |
frailty index (FI) | increase | 5-year mortality | people aged 60+ | AUC(95%CI) 0.84 (0.82-0.86) | showed the best accuracy | #4 |
walking speed (WS) | increase | 5-year mortality | people aged 60+ | AUC(95%CI) 0.85 (0.83-0.86) | showed the best accuracy | #5 |
Health Assessment Tool (HAT) | increase | 5-year mortality | people aged 60+ | AUC(95%CI) 0.86 (0.85-0.88) | showed the best accuracy | #6 |
frailty index (FI) | increase | 1-year unplanned hospitalizations (1+) | people aged 60+ | AUC(95%CI) 0.73 (0.71-0.76) | better predicted | #7 |
Health Assessment Tool (HAT) | increase | 1-year unplanned hospitalizations (1+) | people aged 60+ | AUC(95%CI) 0.73 (0.71-0.75) | better predicted | #8 |
frailty index (FI) | increase | 3-year unplanned hospitalizations (1+) | people aged 60+ | AUC(95%CI) 0.72 (0.70-0.73) | better predicted | #9 |
Health Assessment Tool (HAT) | increase | 3-year unplanned hospitalizations (1+) | people aged 60+ | AUC(95%CI) 0.71 (0.69-0.73) | better predicted | #10 |
multimorbidity | increase | multiple contacts with healthcare providers (2+) | people aged 60+ | AUC(95%CI) 0.67 (0.65-0.68) | the most accurate predictor | #11 |
geriatric health indicators | decrease | predictions | younger individuals (< 78 years old) | - | were generally less accurate | #12 |
BACKGROUND: The identification of individuals at increased risk of poor health-related outcomes is a priority. Geriatric research has proposed several indicators shown to be associated with these outcomes, but a head-to-head comparison of their predictive accuracy is still lacking. We therefore aimed to compare the accuracy of five geriatric health indicators in predicting different outcomes among older persons: frailty index (FI), frailty phenotype (FP), walking speed (WS), multimorbidity, and a summary score including clinical diagnoses, functioning, and disability (the Health Assessment Tool; HAT). METHODS: Data were retrieved from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen, an ongoing longitudinal study including 3363 people aged 60+. To inspect the accuracy of geriatric health indicators, we employed areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the prediction of 3-year and 5-year mortality, 1-year and 3-year unplanned hospitalizations (1+), and contacts with healthcare providers in the 6 months before and after baseline evaluation (2+). RESULTS: FI, WS, and HAT showed the best accuracy in the prediction of mortality [AUC(95%CI) for 3-year mortality 0.84 (0.82-0.86), 0.85 (0.83-0.87), 0.87 (0.85-0.88) and AUC(95%CI) for 5-year mortality 0.84 (0.82-0.86), 0.85 (0.83-0.86), 0.86 (0.85-0.88), respectively]. Unplanned hospitalizations were better predicted by the FI [AUC(95%CI) 1-year 0.73 (0.71-0.76); 3-year 0.72 (0.70-0.73)] and HAT [AUC(95%CI) 1-year 0.73 (0.71-0.75); 3-year 0.71 (0.69-0.73)]. The most accurate predictor of multiple contacts with healthcare providers was multimorbidity [AUC(95%CI) 0.67 (0.65-0.68)]. Predictions were generally less accurate among younger individuals (< 78 years old). CONCLUSION: Specific geriatric health indicators predict clinical outcomes with different accuracy. Comprehensive indicators (HAT, FI, WS) perform better in predicting mortality and hospitalization. Multimorbidity exhibits the best accuracy in the prediction of multiple contacts with providers.