Abstracts from the 44th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Canadian Geriatrics Society

Background/Purpose: Frailty in older adults can increase the risk of adverse health outcomes after surgery.This retrospective study investigated how the change in frailty scores following hip fracture relates to health outcomes. Method:The Pictorial Fit-Frail Scale (PFFS) scores were determined retrospectively by review of hospital electronic health records (EHRs) pre-admission and five days post-surgery on a random sample of 181 hip fracture patients 65 years and older.The change in PFFS scores were categorized as: no change (0 to <4), mild (4 to <8), moderate (8 to <12), and severe change (12 or greater).Associations between frailty change categories and length of stay (LOS), mortality, discharge location, and alternate level of care (ALC) days in acute care were analyzed using partial correlations. Results:The average age was 83.1 years (SD 8.2) and 74.0%female.The mean PFFS scores were 10.9 (SD 7.4) prior to admission and 19.2 (SD 5.5) five days post-surgery.Almost a quarter (23.2%) had a severe change in PFFS score and 39.2% had a mild or no change.There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the magnitude of change of the PFFS score and the LOS (r=0.21),ALC days (r=0.23),mortality (r=0.22), and not returning home (r=0.46)when controlling for age and PFFS pre-admission.Discussion: Health data collected in hospital EHRs can be used to determine frailty levels pre-admission and post-surgery.The change in frailty, measured by the PFFS, correlates with health outcomes.Patients with severe changes in frailty post-surgery have worse health outcomes.