Thoracic surgeons' perception of frail behavior in videos of standardized patients.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Frailty is a predictor of poor outcomes following many types of operations. We measured thoracic surgeons' accuracy in assessing patient frailty using videos of standardized patients demonstrating signs of physical frailty. We compared their performance to that of geriatrics specialists.

Methods

We developed an anchored scale for rating degree of frailty. Reference categories were assigned to 31 videos of standardized patients trained to exhibit five levels of activity ranging from "vigorous" to "frail." Following an explanation of frailty, thoracic surgeons and geriatrics specialists rated the videos. We evaluated inter-rater agreement and tested differences between ratings and reference categories. The influences of clinical specialty, clinical experience, and s

SUBMITTER: Ferguson MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4043843 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature