The essential frailty toolset

Working with Montréal-based uMind e-learning firm, a smartphone app will be developed that teaches providers how to perform the Essential Frailty Toolset (EFT) and calculate a frailty rating.

Research Results

Project findings and information will be updated on a continual basis.

About the Project

Frailty-AVR is a recently completed Canadian-led study in which 1,046 older adults undergoing surgical/transcatheter aortic valve replacement to determine the impact on mortality, morbidity, and patient-centered outcomes up to one year were assessed.

This study generated a wealth of data that has yet to be translated into clinical practice because of two critical knowledge translation (KT) barriers: (1) 30+ minutes are required to perform the full battery of frailty tests, (2) no method exists to integrate the results from multiple (often discordant) frailty tests.

We propose to overcome these barriers by developing an EFT that encompasses selected frailty tests with high prognostic value in our population of interest and low collective burden of assessment, accompanied by a simple algorithm that integrates the different tests into one composite frailty rating.

Objectives: (1) To derive and validate the EFT by analyzing the database of the recently completed Frailty-AVR study, (2) to pilot test the EFT and draw feedback from focus groups and (3) to implement the EFT using a number of KT tools at Canadian cardiovascular centres, and to explore dissemination through international partnerships.

Project Team

Principal Investigators:

Jonathan Afilalo, MD, MSc, FACC, FRCPC — Jewish General Hospital

Rakesh Arora, MD, MSC — University of Manitoba

Sandra Lauck, PhD, RN — University of British Columbia

Co-Investigators:

Jennifer Baumbusch, PhD, RN — University of British Columbia

Michelle Graham, MD — University of Alberta

Joseph Lawrence, PhD — McGill University

Louis Perrault, PhD — Institut de cardiologie de Montréal, Université de Montréal

John Webb, MD — St. Paul’s Hospital, University of British Columbia

Knowledge Users and Partners:

Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons

Umind Soft

Project Contact: Jonathan Afilalo — jonathan.afilalo@mcgill.ca

FRA 2015-B-11