[Convergent and discriminative validity of the Frail-VIG index with the Braden scale in people cared for in home care]. / Validez convergente y discriminativa del índice Frágil-VIG con la escala de Braden en personas atendidas en atención domiciliaria.

ABSTRACT

The Frail-VIG index and the Braden scale are validated instruments for assessing frailty and the risk of developing dependency-related skin lesions respectively. The Frail-VIG index is a multidimensional instrument that allows rapid and efficient assessment of the degree of frailty in the context of clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate the convergent and discriminative validity of the Frail-VIG index with regard to Braden scale value. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional study in 2 primary health care centres of the Catalan Institute of Health, Barcelona (Spain). Participants in the study were all people included under a home care programme during the year 2018. No exclusion criteria were applied. We used the Frail-VIG index to measure frailty and the Braden scale to measure the risk of developing pressure ulcers. Trained nurses administered both instruments during face-to-face assessments in a participant's home during usual care. The relationships between both instruments were examined using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Four hundred and twelve participants were included. Frail-VIG score and Braden scale value were negatively correlated (r=-0.597; P<.0001). Non-frail people had a lower risk of developing dependency-related skin lesions than moderate to severe frail people. The Braden scale value declined significantly as the Frail-VIG index score increased. CONCLUSIONS: Frail-VIG index demonstrated a convergent validity with the Braden scale. Its discriminative validity was optimal, as their scores showed an excellent capacity to differentiate between people with a higher and lower risk of developing. These findings provide additional pieces of evidence for construct validity of the Frail-VIG index.