Laura Wilding

Measuring Frailty Can Help Emergency Departments Identify Independent Seniors at Risk of Functional Decline After Minor Injuries

Background. This study aims to (i) describe frailty in the subgroup of independent community-dwelling seniors consulting emergency departments (EDs) for minor injuries, (ii) examine the association between frailty and functional decline 3 months postinjury, (iii) ascertain the predictive accuracy of frailty measures and emergency physicians’ for functional decline. Method. Prospective cohort in 2011–2013 among 1,072 seniors aged 65 years or older, independent in basic daily activities, evaluated in Canadian EDs for minor injuries. Frailty was assessed at EDs using the Canadian Study of Health and Aging-Clinical Frailty scale (CSHA-CFS) and the Study of Osteoporotic Fracture frailty index (SOF). Functional decline was defined as a loss ≥2/28 on the Older American Resources Services scale 3 months postinjury. Generalized mixed models were used to explore differences in functional decline across frailty levels. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were used to ascertain the predictive accuracy of frailty measures and emergency physicians’ clinical judgment. Results. The SOF and CSHA-CFS were available in 342 and 1,058 participants, respectively. The SOF identified 55.6%, 32.7%, 11.7% patients as robust, prefrail, and frail. These CSHA-CFS (n = 1,058) proportions were 51.9%, 38.3%, and 9.9%. The 3-month incidence of functional decline was 12.1% (10.0%−14.6%). The Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of the CSHA-CFS and the emergency physicians’ were similar (0.548–0.777), while the SOF was somewhat higher (0.704–0.859). Conclusion. Measuring frailty in community-dwelling seniors with minor injuries in EDs may enhance current risk screening for functional decline. However, before implementation in usual care, feasibility issues such as inter-rater reliability and acceptability of frailty tools in the EDs have to be addressed.

Is Cognitive Function a Concern in Independent Elderly Adults Discharged Home from the Emergency Department in Canada After a Minor Injury

To describe the cognitive functioning of independent community‐dwelling elderly adults visiting the emergency department (ED) for minor injuries and at 3‐ and 6‐month follow‐up assessments and to document the occurrence of falls, return to the ED, and hospital visits over time according to cognitive level.

National survey of physicians to determine the effect of unconditional incentives on response rates of physician postal surveys

Objectives Physicians are a commonly targeted group in health research surveys, but their response rates are often relatively low. The goal of this paper was to evaluate the effect of unconditional incentives in the form of a coffee card on physician postal survey response rates. Design Following 13 key informant interviews and eight cognitive interviews a survey questionnaire was developed. Participants A random sample of 534 physicians, stratified by physician group (geriatricians, family physicians, emergency physicians) was selected from a national medical directory. Setting Using computer generated random numbers; half of the physicians in each stratum were allocated to receive a coffee card to a popular national coffee chain together with the first survey mailout. Interventions The intervention was a

National Survey of Emergency Physicians to Define Functional Decline in Elderly Patients with Minor Trauma.

10 Tim Hortons gift card given to half of the physicians who were randomly allocated to receive the incentive. Results 265 (57.0%) physicians completed the survey. The response rate was significantly higher in the group allocated to receive the incentive (62.7% vs 51.3% in the control group; p=0.01). Conclusions Our results indicate that an unconditional incentive in the form of a coffee gift card can substantially improve physician response rates. Future research can look at the effect of varying amounts of cash on the gift cards on response rates.

Correlates of cognitive functioning in independent elderly patients discharged home from the emergency department after a minor injury

BACKGROUND There are a number of screening tools to predict return to the emergency department (ED) in elderly trauma patients, but none exist to specifically screen for functional decline after a minor injury. The objective of this study was to identify outcome measures for a possible future clinical decision rule to be used in the ED to identify previously independent patients at high risk of functional decline at six months post minor injury. METHODS After a rigorous development process, a survey instrument was administered to a random sample of 178 emergency physicians using the Dillmans Tailored Design Method. RESULTS Of 156 eligible surveys, we received 81 completed surveys (response rate 51.9%). Considering all 14 activities of daily living (ADL) items, 90% of physicians deemed a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in function to be at least three points on the 28-point Older Americans Resources and Services (OARS) ADL Scale as clinically significant. A tool with a sensitivity of 93% to detect patients at risk of functional decline at six months post injury would meet or exceed the sensitivity deemed to be required by 90% of physicians. The majority of emergency physicians do not assess elderly injured patients for the majority of the tasks. CONCLUSIONS A drop of three points on the 28-point OARS ADL Scale would be deemed clinically important by the vast majority of emergency physicians. Further, a sensitivity of 93% for a clinical decision tool would satisfy the MCID requirements of the vast majority of emergency physicians. There appears to be a gap between physician knowledge and actual practice. We intend to use these findings in the development of a clinical decision rule to identify high-risk elderly trauma patients.

National Survey of Geriatricians to Define Functional Decline in Elderly People with Minor Trauma

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to explore correlates of cognitive functioning of older adults visiting the emergency department (ED) after a minor injury. METHODS These results are derived from a large prospective study in three Canadian EDs. Participants were aged ≥ 65 years and independent in basic activities of daily living, visiting the ED for minor injuries and discharged home within 48 hours (those with known dementia, confusion, and delirium were excluded). They completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Potential correlates included sociodemographic and injury variables, and measures of psychological and physical health, social support, mobility, falls, and functional status. RESULTS Multivariate analyses revealed that male sex, age ≥ 85 years, higher depression scores, slower walking speed, and self-reported memory problems were significantly associated with lower baseline MoCA scores. CONCLUSIONS These characteristics could help ED professionals identify patients who might need additional cognitive evaluations or follow-ups after their passage through the ED. Obtaining information on these characteristics is potentially feasible in the ED context and could help professionals alter favorably elderlys trajectory of care. Since a significant proportion of elderly patients consulting at an ED have cognitive impairment, the ED is an opportunity to prevent functional and cognitive decline.

Erratum to: Frail older adults with minor fractures show lower health-related quality of life (SF-12) scores up to six months following emergency department discharge

Background This study was designed to determine a clinically significant point drop in function to define functional decline and the required sensitivity for a clinical decision tool to identify elderly patients at high risk of functional decline following a minor injury. Methods After a rigorous development process, a survey questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 178 geriatricians selected from those registered in a national medical directory. The surveys were distributed using a modified Dillman technique. Results We obtained a satisfactory response rate of 70.5%. Ninety percent of the geriatricians required a sensitivity of 90% or less for a clinical decision tool to identify injured seniors at high risk of functional decline 6 months post injury. Our results indicate that 90% of the respondents considered a drop in function of at least 2 points in activities of daily living (ADL) as clinically significant when considering all 14 ADL items. Considering only the 7 basic ADL items, 90% of physicians considered a 1 point drop as clinically significant. Conclusions A tool with a sensitivity of 90% to detect patients at risk of functional decline at 6 months post minor injury would meet or exceed the sensitivity required by 90% of geriatric specialists. These findings clearly define what is a clinically significant decline following a “minor injury.”