An effective and practical tool to assess physical frailty in older adults: Turkish validation of the FRAIL Scale

Objective: Practical scales with tested validity and reliability are needed to clinically determine frailty.The aim of this study is to find out whether the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses, and Loss of weight (FRAIL) Scale is an effective screening scale to show frailty. Patients and Methods: The Frail non-Disabled (FIND) scale validated in the Turkish population was applied for FRAIL Scale validation. Comprehensive geriatric assessment and Fried Index were performed on 85 outpatients who were 65 years and older. The patients were examined in terms of comorbidity, number of falls, living environment, number of drugs used, and hospitalization in the last year.Results: The FRAIL Scale had a high correlation with the FIND scale and Fried Index (correlation coefficients are 0.956 and 0.934, respectively). In addition, it was found to be associated with Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scales, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Mini Nutritional Assessment short-form (MNA-sf),Clock Drawing Test (CDT), handgrip strength, and timed up and go test (p<0.05). The compliance between independent practitioners and test-retest compliance were found to be 100% (full compliance,Cronbach's alpha coefficient is 1.00).Conclusion: In the Turkish geriatric population, the FRAIL scale was found to be a reliable and valid scale in showing frailty.