Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41225277›Full record

SynthesisEuropean geriatric medicine2025

Frailty detection tools in geriatric rehabilitation: a systematic review.

Diana Maia Alcaide, Francesco Cilla, Emilie Kort, Patrizia D'Amelio

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European geriatric medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Diana Maia AlcaideService of Geriatric Medicine and Geriatric Rehabilitation, Hôpital Fribourgeois (HFR), Rue de L' Hôpital 9, 1632, Riaz, Switzerland.
Francesco CillaService of Geriatric Medicine and Geriatric Rehabilitation, Hôpital Fribourgeois (HFR), Rue de L' Hôpital 9, 1632, Riaz, Switzerland. francesco.cilla@h-fr.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0332-8178
Emilie KortService of Geriatric Medicine and Geriatric Rehabilitation, Hôpital Fribourgeois (HFR), Rue de L' Hôpital 9, 1632, Riaz, Switzerland.
Patrizia D'AmelioService of Geriatric Medicine and Geriatric Rehabilitation, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Route de Mont Paisible 16, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4467-8337

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeFrailty is common among older adults admitted to geriatric rehabilitation and influences outcomes such as recovery, length of stay, and discharge destination. Identifying reliable tools to assess frailty in this setting is essential for clinical decision-making. This review aims to identify the tools used to detect frailty in geriatric rehabilitation settings, analyze the associations between frailty and rehabilitation outcomes, and assess their ability to predict short- and long-term clinical outcomes in patients admitted to post-acute geriatric inpatient rehabilitation.

methodA systematic review was conducted using Medline/PubMed and CINAHL databases. Studies were eligible if they focused on geriatric rehabilitation and analyzed associations between frailty and rehabilitation-sensitive outcomes.

resultsTwenty-five studies were included, covering a range of frailty instruments. Across studies, frailty consistently predicted mortality, institutionalization, functional recovery, and patient-reported outcomes. The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and Frailty Index (FI) were the most frequently used and showed the most consistent associations with these outcomes, with reported AUC values typically between 0.60 and 0.73, and up to 0.82 for short-term mortality. Performance-based tools such as gait speed and the Frailty Phenotype were particularly predictive of functional outcomes.

conclusionThe CFS and FI currently represent the most validated and feasible approaches for frailty assessment in geriatric rehabilitation, while direct head-to-head comparisons between tools remain limited. Detecting frailty at admission can help anticipate rehabilitation trajectories and guide individualized care strategies.

Indexed as

Frail ElderlyFrailtyGeriatric AssessmentAgedAged, 80 and overHumansFrail older adultsFrailtyFrailty screeningRehabilitationScreening tool

Identifiers

PMID41225277

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.