Researchers at Emory University’s School of Medicine in Atlanta have developed a new one-minute assessment that can help outpatient surgery centers predict how well a patient will recover following surgery. The new 60-second test is perfect for busy surgical centers that are typically too busy to perform the more extensive frailty assessment, which can take up to 10 minutes and must be conducted by a trained professional.
The lengthier frailty assessment uses five criteria to determine the potential for complications after surgery. Those include:
By contrast, the new one-minute assessment examines only weight loss and grip strength. In a study involving 351 patients, researchers performed both tests and found the abbreviated assessment was equally accurate in predicting complications. The study also concluded that frailty assessments should not be viewed as appropriate only for older patients. Study co-author Viraj Master, MD, PHD, FACS noted that “Many people would suspect that frailty only applies to someone in their 80s. It's startling to think that people in their 30s and 40s could actually be frail, but there is a population of patients who are young but are actually frail."
Identifying frailty in patients prior to surgery allows health care providers to take preventative steps to better ensure their recovery. Beginning this year, the new one-minute assessment will be used for all surgical patients at Emory University School of Medicine.
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