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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: Clin Ther. 2015 Nov 25;37(12):2666–2675. doi: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2015.10.022

Table 2.

Common Clinical Frailty Scores

Frailty phenotype(26)
Shrinking, weakness, exhaustion, low activity and slowed walking speed.

  1. Shrinking: weight loss, unintentional, of 10 pounds in prior year or, at follow-up, of 5% of body weight in prior year (by direct measurement of weight).

  2. Weakness: grip strength in the lowest 20% at baseline, adjusted for gender and body mass index.

  3. Poor endurance and energy as indicated by self-report of exhaustion.

  4. Slowness: based on time to walk 15 feet, adjusting for gender and standing height.

  5. Low physical activity level: A weighted score of kilocalories expended per week is calculated at baseline based on each participant’s report.

Three or more characteristics need to be present for an individual to be considered frail. Those with no characteristics are considered robust, those with one or two characteristics are hypothesized to be in an intermediate, possibly pre-frail, stage.
FRAIL screening tool(41)
Fatigue: “How much of the time during the past 4 weeks did you feel tired?”
Resistance: “By yourself and not using aids, do you have any difficulty walking up 10 steps without resting?”
Ambulation: “By yourself and not using aids, do you have any difficulty walking several hundred yards?”
Illness: For 11 illnesses, participants are asked, “Did a doctor ever tell you that you have [illness The illnesses include hypertension, diabetes, cancer (other than a minor skin cancer), chronic lung disease, heart attack, congestive heart failure, angina, asthma, arthritis, stroke, and kidney disease
Loss of weight: “How much do you weigh with your clothes on but without shoes?” “One year ago, how much did you weigh without your shoes and with your clothes on?”
Edmonton Frail Scale(42)
Cognition: “Please imagine that this pre-drawn circle is a clock. I would like you to place the numbers in the correct positions then place the hands to indicate a time of ten after eleven.”
General health status: “In the past year, how many times have you been admitted to a hospital?” “In general, how would you describe your health?”
Functional independence: “With how many of the following activities do you require help? (meal preparation, shopping, transportation, telephone, housekeeping, laundry, managing money, taking medications).
Social support: “When you need help, can you count on someone who is willing and able to meet your needs?”
Medication use: “Do you use five or more different prescription medications on a regular basis?” “At times, do you forget to take your prescription medications?”
Nutrition: “Have you recently lost weight such that your clothing has become looser?”
Mood: “Do you often feel sad or depressed?”
Continence: “Do you have a problem with losing control of urine when you don’t want to?”
Functional performance: “I would like you to sit in this chair with your back and arms resting. Then, when I say ‘GO’, please stand up and walk at a safe and comfortable pace to the mark on the floor (approximately 3 meters away), return to the chair and sit down.”
Modified Frailty Index(44)
History of diabetes; COPD or pneumonia; congestive heart failure; myocardial infarction; angina/PCI; hypertension requiring medication; peripheral vascular disease; dementia; TIA or CVA; CVA with neurological deficit; ADLs.