Diagnostic accuracy of the FRAIL scale for frailty screening in community-dwelling older adults with diabetes: A cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT

There is limited evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of the FRAIL scale in community-dwelling older adults with diabetes. This study aimed to validate the diagnostic accuracy and determine the optimal cutoff point of the FRAIL scale in community-dwelling older adults with diabetes using the Fried Frailty Phenotype as the reference standard. A total of 489 community-dwelling older adults with diabetes aged 60 or above were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The FRAIL scale showed good diagnostic accuracy for frailty screening. The optimal cutoff point for frailty screening in older adults with diabetes was 2. The agreement between the FRAIL scale and the Fried Frailty Phenotype was substantial. The FRAIL scale classified more participants as frail (29.24%) than the Fried Frailty Phenotype (22.09%). These findings provide evidence that the FRAIL scale is a valid tool that can be applied to community-dwelling older adults with diabetes.