Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41103247›Full record

ArticleAcademic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine2026

Development of a Novel Frailty Trigger for Use at Triage in the Emergency Department.

Elizabeth Moloney, Mark R O'Donovan, Dearbhla Burke, Anne Healy, Maria Larkin, Anne O'Keeffe, Rónán O'Caoimh

Abstract readComparative StudyEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Development of a Novel Frailty Trigger for Use at Triage in the Emergency Department.Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine · 2026
    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

7 authors.

Elizabeth MoloneyDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Mercy University Hospital, Cork City, Ireland.
Mark R O'DonovanHRB Clinical Research Facility, Mercy University Hospital, University College Cork, Cork City, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0001-8498-7567
Dearbhla BurkeDepartment of Physiotherapy, Cork University Hospital, Cork City, Ireland.
Anne HealyDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Mercy University Hospital, Cork City, Ireland.
Maria LarkinDepartment of Occupational Therapy, Mercy University Hospital, Cork City, Ireland.
Anne O'KeeffeDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Mercy University Hospital, Cork City, Ireland.
Rónán O'CaoimhDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Mercy University Hospital, Cork City, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0002-1499-673X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEmergency Department (ED) Triage identifies patients with urgent needs. Frailty is not routinely identified and older patients presenting atypically may be inappropriately triaged as low priority. The introduction of a frailty modifier at triage is recommended in international guidelines, but is not yet widely-adopted.

methodsA Frailty Trigger was developed following a systematic review and two-round eDelphi. To investigate diagnostic test accuracy for frailty, we recruited consecutive adults aged ≥ 70 attending a university hospital ED between December 2021 and February 2022, comparing the Trigger to the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), Variable indicative of Placement (VIP), and PRISMA-7. An independent comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) determined frailty status.

resultsIn total, 313 adults aged ≥ 70 years were available, median age 78 ± 9 years and 46% were female. Half (51%) were frail based on the CGA. The Frailty Trigger had excellent diagnostic accuracy for frailty, Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.822, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.780-0.865, similar to the VIP (AUC 0.820, p = 0.937), although significantly lower than the PRISMA-7 (AUC 0.896) and CFS (AUC 0.946). Mean administrative time was 25.5 s (SD ±10.9 s). Scoring positive on the Frailty Trigger was associated with increased length of stay (LOS), median 6.4 versus 2.3 days (p < 0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, and co-morbidity, a positive score was associated with reduced survival at 1 year (Hazard Ratio 2.2; 95% CI 1.15-4.33, p = 0.017).

conclusionWhen applied as part of ED triage, the Frailty Trigger showed excellent diagnostic accuracy for frailty when compared to validated screens and was quick to use. It predicted LOS and mortality. Studies are required to examine feasibility and its effect on frailty pathways from triage.

Indexed as

Emergency Service, HospitalFrailtyGeriatric AssessmentTriageAgedAged, 80 and overArea Under CurveFemaleFrail ElderlyHumansMalePractice Guidelines as TopicReproducibility of ResultsSystematic Reviews as Topicemergency departmentemergency roomfrailtyolder adultsscreeningtriage

Identifiers

PMID41103247
PMCPMC12875017

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.