Innovative Risk Assessment Tool
Mass General Brigham researchers have developed an electronic frailty index that successfully identifies older adults at higher risk of adverse outcomes. This groundbreaking tool, detailed in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, measures patient frailty by analyzing electronic health record (EHR) data from over 500,000 patients across multiple hospitals.
Comprehensive Patient Analysis
The study focused on patients aged 60 and above who had one to two outpatient visits within a two or three-year period before 2017. Researchers also examined a sub-cohort receiving primary care during this timeframe. The innovative frailty index classified patients into four categories—robust, pre-frail, frail, or very frail—based on 31 aging-related health deficits identified in their EHR data.
Significant Clinical Findings
Among the 518,449 patients studied (average age 71.94 years), researchers categorized 72.9% as robust, 15.8% as pre-frail, 6.9% as frail, and 2.8% as very frail. The data revealed that very frail patients experienced significantly higher rates of death and hospital readmission within 90 days compared to robust individuals. Importantly, negative outcomes increased progressively from pre-frail to very frail classifications.
Widespread Healthcare Applications
While developed through cross-system collaboration at Mass General Brigham, this model has potential applications for other health systems seeking to identify at-risk older adults. Senior author Dr. Ariela R. Orkaby emphasized that “frailty can be measured in EHRs, even when data is incomplete.”
Improving Elderly Care
For facilities treating older and more vulnerable populations, this automated tool—the Mass General Brigham-Electronic Frailty Index—provides a rapid method for identifying high-risk patients. Dr. Orkaby expressed hope that this innovation “will help improve care of all older adults entering the healthcare system.”
Discover the latest Provider news updates with a single click. Follow DistilINFO HospitalIT and stay ahead with updates. Join our community today!
Leave a Reply