Validation of the virtual measurement of the Essential Frailty Toolset. (2nd July 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sahota, P; Yu, M; Polderman, J; Achtem, L; Stephenson, A; Morgan, K; Lauck, S
• Is Part Of: European journal of cardiovascular nursing. Volume 21(2022)Supplement 1
• Publication Date: 2022-07-02
• Subjects: Cardiovascular system -- Diseases -- Nursing -- Periodicals; Cardiovascular Diseases -- nursing -- Periodicals; Cardiology -- Periodicals; Nursing -- Periodicals; Vascular Diseases -- Periodicals; 610.7369105
• DOI: 10.1093/eurjcn/zvac060.113
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1474-5151

Abstract

Abstract: Funding Acknowledgements: Type of funding sources: None. Background: The Essential Frailty Toolset (EFT) is a valid measurement of frailty in people with heart valve disease. COVID-19 has prompted the transition to virtual health consultations and necessitates the validation of the virtual assessment of frailty. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study to compare the measurement of EFT in person and virtual format within a maximum 2-week window of repeated measurement. The weighted Kappa tests was used to measure the agreement of EFT scores between assessments; we explored the effect of the sequence of measurement using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel statistic to test the general association between the timing of measurement and differences of EFT score. Results: We recruited a sample of 49 patients, with a mean age of 81 ± 7 years, including 29 men (59.2%); the primary valvular heart diseases were aortic stenosis (n=40, 81.6%), mitral regurgitation (n=2, 4.1%) and tricuspid regurgitation (n=7, 14.3%). The virtual measurement of frailty was conducted using a standardised protocol. The platform for virtual connection selected by patients was FaceTime (n=20, 40.8%) and Zoom (n=29, 59.2%); the median (IQR) number of days between the in-person and the virtual assessment was 5 (3, 10). The weighted Kappa estimate was 0.69 (95% CI 0.55, 0.82), illustrating a strong agreement between the separate scores obtained. The test for the general association was non-significant (p=0.82), indicating a lack of evidence for detecting an association between EFT scores and chronological order of assessment. Conclusion: The EFT can be reliably measured virtual in older patients with valvular heart disease to inform clinical care.