Development of a Frailty Measure for Older Adults: The Frailty Index for Elders

Background and Purpose: Frailty is a significant challenge for health care. Therefore, it is important to identify frail individuals. Theoretical Framework: The Vulnerability/Risk/Human Response/Care Model. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a measure to identify frail older adults. Methods: Instrument development encompassed the following: delineation of content domains, item generation, content validity, quantitative content validity analysis, and psychometric analysis. Results: Findings indicated the following: (a) Frailty is a complex concept, (b) the Frailty Index for Elders (FIFE) is composed of 10 items, (c) FIFE was able to predict depression, and (d) FIFE was able to differentiate differences in demographic profiles by social support environment. Conclusions: FIFE is a valid instrument. FIFE can be used to study the relationships among frailty determinants, provide standardized measurement, and develop and measure interventional studies.