Trial reportDrugs & aging2019
Higher Fit-fOR-The-Aged (FORTA) Scores Comprising Medication Errors are Associated with Impaired Cognitive and Physical Function Tests in the VALFORTA Trial.
Trial report in Drugs & aging, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Medication review in hospitalised patients to reduce morbidity and mortality.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Longitudinal Non-interventional Changes of the FORTA Score are Associated with Changes of Cognitive and Physical Function Tests in Community-Dwelling Older People.Drugs & aging · 2026Article
- Factors associated with potentially inappropriate medication use, medication underuse and overuse in older adults in the German National Cohort.Journal of internal medicine · 2026Article
- The FORTA (Fit for the Aged) List 2024: Fifth Version of a Validated Clinical Aid for Improved Pharmacotherapy in Older Adults.Drugs & aging · 2025Article
- FORTA Score and Negative Outcomes in Older Adults: Insights from Italian Internal Medicine Wards.Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre · 2025Article
- [The FORTA (Fit fOR The Aged) List].Innere Medizin (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2024Review
- Medication optimization according to the Fit fOR The Aged (FORTA) rules improves functional status in patients hospitalized for geriatric rehabilitation.European geriatric medicine · 2023Article
- The EURO-FORTA (Fit fOR The Aged) List Version 2: Consensus Validation of a Clinical Tool for Improved Pharmacotherapy in Older Adults.Drugs & aging · 2023Article
- Higher FORTA (Fit fOR The Aged) scores are associated with poor functional outcomes, dementia, and mortality in older people.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2022Article
- The Sex-Specific Impact of the FORTA (Fit-fOR-The-Aged) List on Medication Quality and Clinical Endpoints in Older Hospitalized Patients: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.Drugs - real world outcomes · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe Fit fOR The Aged (FORTA) list, a drug classification combining positive and negative labelling of drugs, has been clinically (VALFORTA-trial) validated to improve medication quality and clinical endpoints.
objectiveThe objective of this study was to determine the association of medication quality with functional abilities tested in cognitive and physical function tests. PATIENTS AND
methodsData from the prospective, randomized controlled VALFORTA trial on 409 geriatric (mean age 81.53 years) in-hospital patients were tested for associations between the FORTA score (sum of over- and under-treatment errors) on admission and cognitive and physical function tests. Univariate and multivariate linear correlations corrected for age, sex, number of medications, number of chronic conditions, and body mass index as well as comparisons between high and low FORTA-score (cut-off 3) patients were performed.
resultsThe FORTA score was significantly correlated with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (p < 0.0001), the Tinetti test (p < 0.002), Essen Questionnaire on Age and Sleepiness (p < 0.0001), Mini-Mental State Examination (p < 0.0001), and handgrip strength (p < 0.04) in the univariate analysis, and with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (p < 0.003), the Tinetti test (p < 0.003), and the Essen Questionnaire on Age and Sleepiness (p < 0.0001) in the multivariate analysis. Effect size was weak for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (R-squared = 0.12) and the Tinetti test (R-squared = 0.03) and medium for the Essen Questionnaire on Age and Sleepiness (R-squared = 0.22). Significant differences between patients with high and low FORTA scores were found for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, the Tinetti test, mini-nutritional assessments, Mini-Mental State Examination, Essen Questionnaire on Age and Sleepiness, and the Geriatric Depression Scale. All significant tests revealed that higher FORTA scores (lower medication quality) were associated with less favorable test outcomes.
conclusionsThe FORTA score is associated with relevant aspects of comprehensive geriatric assessment, underlining the importance of medication quality for the functional and cognitive well-being of older patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00000531.
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