Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38408948›Full record

Observational studyBMC geriatrics2024

Assessing frailty amongst older people admitted to hospital in a low-income setting: a multicentre study in northern Tanzania.

Sean L Davidson, Luke Emmence, Sara May Motraghi-Nobes, Emily Bickerstaff, George Rayers, Godrule Lyimo, Joseph Kilasara, Mary Chuwa, Fortunatus Kisheo, Elibariki Kisaruni and 4 more

Abstract readObservational StudyMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in BMC geriatrics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Frailty Prediction Model for Elderly Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Patients.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Sean L DavidsonNewcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK. s.davidson3@newcastle.ac.uk.
Luke EmmenceNewcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Sara May Motraghi-NobesNewcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Emily BickerstaffNewcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
George RayersNewcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Godrule LyimoKilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania.
Joseph KilasaraKilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, Tanzania.
Mary ChuwaMawenzi Regional Referral Hospital, Moshi, Tanzania.
Fortunatus KisheoHai District Hospital, Moshi, Tanzania.
Elibariki KisaruniMachame Lutheran Hospital, Moshi, Tanzania.
Sarah UrasaKilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania.
Emma MitchellNorth Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK.
Catherine L DotchinNewcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Richard W WalkerNewcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPopulations are ageing globally and Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) are experiencing the fastest rates of demographic change. Few studies have explored the burden of frailty amongst older people in hospital in LMICs, where healthcare services are having to rapidly adapt to align with the needs of older people. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of frailty amongst older people admitted to hospital in Tanzania and to explore their demographic and clinical characteristics.

methodsThis study had a prospective observational design. Over a six-month period, all adults ≥ 60 years old admitted to medical wards in four hospitals in northern Tanzania were invited to participate. They were screened for frailty using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and the Frailty Phenotype (FP). Demographic and clinical characteristics of interest were recorded in a structured questionnaire. These included the Barthel Index, the Identification of Elderly Africans Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADEA-IADL) and Cognitive (IDEA-Cog) screens, the EURO-D depression scale and Confusion Assessment Method.

results540 adults aged ≥ 60 were admitted, and 308 completed assessment. Frailty was present in 66.6% using the CFS and participants with frailty were significantly older, with lower levels of education and literacy, greater disability, greater comorbidity, poorer cognition and higher levels of delirium. Using the FP, 57.0% of participants were classed as frail though a majority of participants (n = 159, 51.6%) could not be classified due to a high proportion of missing data.

conclusionsThis study indicates that the prevalence of frailty on medical wards in northern Tanzania is high according to the CFS. However, the challenges in operationalising the FP in this setting highlight the need for future work to adapt frailty screening tools for an African context. Future investigations should also seek to correlate frailty status with long-term clinical outcomes after admission in this setting.

Indexed as

FrailtyActivities of Daily LivingAgedFrail ElderlyGeriatric AssessmentHospitalsHumansTanzaniaFrailFrailtyHospital inpatientsLMICLow- and middle-income countriesLow-income countriesOld adultsSub-saharan AfricaTanzania

Identifiers

PMID38408948
PMCPMC10898155

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.