The Surprise Question and Self-Rated Health Are Useful Screens for Frailty and Disability in Older Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Abstract

Background: Self-rated health (SRH) and the surprise question (SQ) capture perceptions of health and are independent risk factors for poor outcomes. Little is known about their association with physiologic and functional decline. Objective: Determine the association of SRH and SQ with frailty and functional status in older adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and their utility as screening tools. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting/Subjects: Two hundred seventy-two adults, age ≥60 years, with advanced CKD seen in nephrology clinic. Measurements: Patients completed SRH and were evaluated for frailty (Fried criteria and Clinical Frailty Scale [CFS]) and functional status (Katz and Lawton indices of activities of daily living [ADLs] and instrumental ADLs [iADLs]). Providers completed the SQ. Correlations were evaluated using Spearman s rho. Results: Fifteen percent of patients were frail, 8% had ≥1 ADL deficit, and 29% had ≥1 iADL deficit. SRH and SQ were moderately correlated with frailty and iADLs. A SRH of excellent, very good, or good was predictive of nonfrail status (Fried negative predictive value [NPV]: 0.92; CFS NPV: 0.92) and preserved ADL function (NPV for ≥1 deficit: 0.96). A SQ response of 5, 4, or 3 (i.e., surprised) was predictive of nonfrail status and preserved ADL function (CFS NPV: 0.90; ADL ≥1 deficit NPV: 0.95). A SQ response of 1 or 2 had a positive predictive value of 0.64 for ≥1 iADL deficit. Conclusions: Subjective health measures may be useful screening tools for frailty and functional status.