[Identification of seniors at risk--primary care: a validated questionnaire predicting functional decline]. / Een gevalideerd screeningsinstrument voorspelt functieverlies bij thuiswonende ouderen: de Identification of Seniors at Risk--Primary Care (ISAR-PC).

OBJECTIVES: To modify and validate in primary healthcare the Identification of Seniors At Risk (ISAR) screening questionnaire to identify older persons at increased risk of functional decline and to compare this strategy with risk stratification by age alone. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective development (n=790) and validation cohorts (n=2,573) of community-dwelling persons aged ≥70 years. Functional decline at 12 months was defined as an increase of at least one point on the modified Katz-activities of daily living index score compared with baseline or death. RESULTS: Three items were independently associated with functional decline: age (odds ratio [OR] 1.06 per year; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02, 1.10) dependence in instrumental activities of daily living (OR: 2.17; 95% CI: 1.46, 3.22), and impaired memory (OR: 2.22; 95% CI: 1.41, 3.51). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) range of the ISAR-primary care model was 0.67-0.70 and 40.6% was identified at increased risk. Validation yielded an AUC range of 0.63-0.64. Age≥75 years alone yielded an AUC range of 0.56-0.57 and identified 65.0% at increased risk in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: Although the ISAR-Primary Care (ISAR-PC) has moderate predictive value, application of the ISAR-PC is more efficient than selection based on age alone in identifying persons at increased risk of functional decline. This paper is a translated and adjusted version based on a publication in Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 67 (2014) 1121-1130.

Self-report of healthcare utilization among community-dwelling older persons: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Self-reported data are often used for estimates on healthcare utilization in cost-effectiveness studies. OBJECTIVE: To analyze older adults' self-report of healthcare utilization compared to data obtained from the general practitioners' (GP) electronic medical record (EMR) and to study the differences in healthcare utilization between those who completed the study, those who did not respond, and those lost to follow-up. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted among community-dwelling persons aged 70 years and above, without dementia and not living in a nursing home. Self-reporting questionnaires were compared to healthcare utilization data extracted from the EMR at the GP-office. RESULTS: Overall, 790 persons completed questionnaires at baseline, median age 75 years (IQR 72-80), 55.8% had no disabilities in (instrumental) activities of daily living. Correlations between self-report data and EMR data on healthcare utilization were substantial for 'hospitalizations' and 'GP home visits' at 12 months intraclass correlation coefficient 0.63 (95% CI; 0.58-0.68). Compared to the EMR, self-reported healthcare utilization was generally slightly over-reported. Non-respondents received more GP home visits (p<0.05). Of the participants who died or were institutionalized 62.2% received 2 or more home visits (p<0.001) and 18.9% had 2 or more hospital admissions (p<0.001) versus respectively 18.6% and 3.9% of the participants who completed the study. Of the participants lost to follow-up for other reasons 33.0% received 2 or more home visits (p<0.01) versus 18.6 of the participants who completed the study. CONCLUSIONS: Self-report of hospitalizations and GP home visits in a broadly 'healthy' community-dwelling older population seems adequate and efficient. However, as people become older and more functionally impaired, collecting healthcare utilization data from the EMR should be considered to avoid measurement bias, particularly if the data will be used to support economic evaluation.

A simple validated questionnaire predicted functional decline in community-dwelling older persons: prospective cohort studies.

OBJECTIVES: To modify and validate in primary health care the Identification of Seniors At Risk (ISAR) screening questionnaire to identify older persons at increased risk of functional decline and to compare this strategy with risk stratification by age alone. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective development (n = 790) and validation cohorts (n = 2,573) of community-dwelling persons aged ≥70 years. Functional decline at 12 months was defined as an increase of at least one point on the modified Katz-activities of daily living index score compared with baseline or death. RESULTS: Three items were independently associated with functional decline: age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.06 per year; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02, 1.10), dependence in instrumental activities of daily living (OR: 2.17; 95% CI: 1.46, 3.22), and impaired memory (OR: 2.22; 95% CI: 1.41, 3.51). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) range of the ISAR-primary care model was 0.67-0.70, and 40.6% was identified at increased risk. Validation yielded an AUC range of 0.63-0.64. Age ≥75 years alone yielded an AUC range of 0.56-0.57 and identified 55.4% at increased risk in the development cohort. CONCLUSION: Although the ISAR-Primary Care (ISAR-PC) has moderate predictive value, application of the ISAR-PC is more efficient than selection based on age alone in identifying persons at increased risk of functional decline.