Prospective comparison of 6 comorbidity indices as predictors of 1-year post-hospital discharge institutionalization, readmission, and mortality in elderly individuals.

Background: Older patients often suffer from multiple comorbid conditions. Few comorbidity indices are valid and reliable in the elderly and were rarely compared.

Objective: To compare the performance, relevance, and ability of 6 widely used and validated comorbidity indices--Charlson Comorbidity Index, Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatrics, Index of Coexistent Diseases, Kaplan, Geriatric Index of Comorbidity (GIC), and Chronic Disease Score--to predict adverse outcomes after discharge (1-year risk of rehospitalization, institutionalization, and death).

Prospective comparison of six co-morbidity indices as predictors of 5 years post hospital discharge survival in the elderly.

Older patients often suffer from multiple co-morbid conditions. Few co-morbidity indices are valid and reliable in elderly patients and comparison between them is rare. Our objective was to compare the performance, relevance, and abilities of six widely used and validated co-morbidity indices--the Charlson Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatrics (CIRS), Index of Co-Existent Disease, Kaplan Scale, Geriatrics Index of Co-morbidity (GIC), and Chronic Disease Score--to predict 5 years of survival after hospital discharge.

Geriatrics index of comorbidity was the most accurate predictor of death in geriatric hospital among six comorbidity scores.

Objectives: To compare the abilities of six validated comorbidity indices (Charlson index, cumulative illness rating scale [CIRS], index of coexistent diseases, Kaplan scale, geriatrics index of comorbidity [GIC], and chronic disease score) to predict adverse hospitalization outcomes (death during hospitalization, length of stay, and institutionalization).

Study Design And Setting: Prospective cohort of 444 elderly inpatients (mean age 85.3) was randomly selected from Geneva geriatric hospital.