Faisabilité de l’évaluation de la fragilité chez les patients de 65 ans et plus en médecine générale

Validation of the Zulfiqar Frailty Scale (ZFS): A New Tool for General Practitioners

Introduction: The early detection of frailty, a frequent transient state that can be reversible in the elderly and is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, helps prevent complications from it. Objective: To evaluate the performance of the “ZFS” tool to screen for frailty as defined SEGA scale criteria in an ambulatory population of patients at least 65 years of age. Methods: A prospective non-interventional study conducted in Alsace for a duration of six months that included patients aged 65 and over, judged to be autonomous with an ADL > 4/6. Results: In this ambulatory population of 102 patients with an average age of 76 years, frailty, according to modified SEGA criteria grid A, had a prevalence of 19.6%. Frailty, according to the “ZFS” tool, had a prevalence of 35.0%, and all of its elements except weight loss were significantly associated with frailty. Its threshold for identifying frailty is three criteria out of six. It was rapid (average completion time: 87 s), had a sensitivity of 100%, and a negative predictive value of 100%. Conclusions: The “ZFS” tool makes it possible to screen for frailty with a high level of sensitivity and a negative predictive value.