New Tool Identifies Frailty Risks in Older Adults Using EHR Data

Researchers at Mass General Brigham have developed a tool to assess frailty in older adults, utilizing electronic health records from over 500,000 patients. This tool classifies patients aged 60 and above into four categories—robust, pre-frail, frail, and very frail—based on 31 health deficits identified in their records. Published in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society, the findings indicate that very frail individuals are at a significantly higher risk of death and rehospitalization within 90 days compared to those classified as robust, aiding clinicians in managing high-risk patients even without comprehensive primary care records.

Opens on Mass General Brigham