Fr-AGILE: validation and reliability of a multidimensional and rapid frailty assessment tool in the Turkish elderly population

TL;DR

This study validates the Fr-AGILE tool for assessing frailty in Turkish elderly patients, showing it is reliable and effective for quick multidimensional evaluations.

Contribution

The study confirms the Fr-AGILE scale's validity and reliability for the Turkish geriatric population, offering a practical multidimensional frailty assessment tool.

Findings

Fr-AGILE showed high specificity (94.1%) and strong correlations with existing frailty scales (FRAIL and Clinical Frailty Score).

The tool demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability in socioeconomic domains and strong internal consistency across all domains.

Fr-AGILE had an AUC of 0.906 for severe frailty, indicating strong diagnostic accuracy.

Abstract

With the global aging population, the prevalence of frailty is increasing, making its timely and accurate identification critical for prevention. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Fr-AGILE scale—a rapid, multidimensional frailty assessment tool—for use in the Turkish geriatric population.

A total of 101 individuals aged 65 and over who visited a geriatric outpatient clinic were enrolled. All participants were assessed using the Fr-AGILE scale, alongside the FRAIL and Clinical Frailty Score as reference standards.

The Fr-AGILE scale demonstrated a sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 94.1%. Its positive predictive value was 83.3%, and the negative predictive value was 56.1%. High inter-rater reliability was observed, with substantial agreement in the physical, mental, and nutritional domains, and excellent agreement in the socioeconomic domain. Internal consistency coefficients were strong across all domains. The Fr-AGILE score showed significant correlations with the FRAIL scale (r = 0.742), Clinical Frailty Score(r = 0.732), and Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment with an AUC of 0.906 for severe frailty (p < 0.001).

The Fr-AGILE scale is a valid and reliable tool for rapid, multidimensional frailty assessment in older adults. It provides a practical and efficient method for identifying frailty across physical, mental, nutritional, and socioeconomic domains in Turkish geriatric patients.

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