Development and usefulness of a new questionnaire for assessing geriatric syndrome.

AIM: To assess the validity and reliability of a pre-visit questionnaire newly developed to identify geriatric conditions in older adults in an outpatient clinical setting. METHODS: A new self-administered questionnaire consisting of 17 items was distributed to 277 patients or their caregivers visiting a memory clinic. The questionnaire was designed to address common symptoms associated with an increasing age based on yes/no responses with symptom-oriented questions avoiding the use of 'jargon'. The patients also underwent comprehensive geriatric assessments (CGAs), as well as tests of the Barthel index, Lawton instrumental activities of daily living, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), geriatric depression scale and vitality index to assess construct validity in a factor analysis. The differences in the prevalence of symptoms between the patients and their caregivers were also assessed. RESULTS: The factor analysis detected eight components that included symptoms referring to gait disturbance, numbness, urinary incontinence, insomnia or body weight loss and were significantly correlated with the measurements of the CGA. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the internal consistency of the questionnaire was 0.729. The caregivers tended to respond to the questionnaire for older patients (81.6±5.5 vs. 76±9.7 years of age for patients with caregivers as responders versus patients as responders respectively, p<0.001) and those with lower MMSE scores (19.4±5.8 vs. 24.8±4.2 points, p<0.001). A higher prevalence of falls and episodes of delusions was observed among the patients with caregivers as responders. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that the current questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument for use in clinical practice and that obtaining collateral source information is essential for assessing significant geriatric symptoms. Such information also provides clinicians with a guide to conducting more detailed evaluations of geriatric conditions and aids in the diagnostic process in older patients with multidisciplinary complications.