Frailty Assessment of Older Canadians Using Emergency Services with Tablet Technology

The Frailty Assessment of Older Canadians Using Emergency Services (FOCUS) tablet used a game-like program with large font that is easy for sick, frail older people to use with minimal supervision.

About the Project

The FOCUS study tested the real-world implementation of a user-friendly tablet based technology to identify high-risk older adults with frailty or problems with their thinking such as delirium or dementia.

The study checked whether the FOCUS tablet technology correctly identifies older patients who are at risk for loss of function. We also took the first steps in testing whether patients identified as high risk by the FOCUS tablet benefit from referral to community services.

The FOCUS study has a proven screening tool that has been tested in three provinces (Ontario, Québec and Nova Scotia), including rural and urban settings, in French and English, and for use by paramedics in the patient’s home as well as in the emergency department.

Project Team

Principal Investigators:

Jacques Lee, MD, MSc, FRCPC — Sunnybrook Research Institute

Mark Chignell, PhD — University of Toronto

Marcel Émond, MD, MSc — Université Laval

Judah Goldstein, PhD — Dalhousie University

Co-Investigators:

Mike Nolan, MA — County of Renfrew

Kenneth Rockwood, MD, FRCPC, FRCP — Dalhousie University

Marie-Josie Sorois, PhD — CHU de Québec

Mary Tierney, PhD, CPO — University of Toronto

Knowledge Users and Partners:

County of Renfrew Paramedic Service

Emergency Health Services Operations Management, Nova Scotia

Université Laval

Project Contact: Jacques Lee — jacques.lee@sunnybrook.ca

FRA 2015-B-09