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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.
Sec. Geriatric Medicine
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1426140

Frailty Assessment and Outcomes in Primary Care for Patients with Diabetes during Ramadan: Implications for Risk Evaluation and Care Plans

Provisionally accepted
Latifa M. Baynouna Al Ketbi Latifa M. Baynouna Al Ketbi 1*Bachar Afandi Bachar Afandi 2*Nico Nagelkerke Nico Nagelkerke 3*Hanan Abdubaqi Hanan Abdubaqi 4*Ruqaya Al Nuaimi Ruqaya Al Nuaimi 4*Mariam Al Saedi Mariam Al Saedi 4*Fatima Al Blooshi Fatima Al Blooshi 4*Noura Al Blooshi Noura Al Blooshi 4*Aysha AlAryani Aysha AlAryani 4*Nouf Al Marzooqi Nouf Al Marzooqi 4*Amal Al Khouri Amal Al Khouri 4*Shamsa Al Mansoori Shamsa Al Mansoori 4*Mohammad Hassanein Mohammad Hassanein 5*
  • 1 Other
  • 2 Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  • 3 College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, AlAin, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  • 4 Ambulatory Healthcare Services, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  • 5 Dubai Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Frailty is a critical concern for older adults, impacting their susceptibility to adverse events and overall quality of life. This study aims to determine the frailty status of patients 60 years or older in Abu Dhabi Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS) and assess its relation to the stress exerted by Ramadan fasting and the occurrence of any adverse outcomes.In this prospective observational study, participants were included if the attending physicians used the IDF-DAR risk stratification assessment tool. A tele-interview was conducted to complete the FRAIL score within six weeks before Ramadan 1444 (CE 2022). The outcome was assessed through another tele-interview and an electronic medical records review after Ramadan.According to the FRAIL assessment tool, of the patients included in the study who were 60 years or older ( 204), half of them, 109 (53.4%), were either frail or pre-frail. Twenty patients were frail (9.8%), that is, one out of ten, and 89(43.6%) were pre-frail. The remaining 95(46.6%) were robust.Using logistic regression to assess the occurrence of adverse outcomes after Ramadan fasting, having a higher frailty score was the third independent risk factor, B=0.4, OR=1.5 (1-2.02-1.86) p value=0.039 for having an adverse event.Identified factors associated with frailty were factors age, increased Albumin Creatinine Ratio, ACR, chronic Kidney diseases (CKD), and ischemic heart diseases Beta=0.27, P value=0.003, Beta=0.24, P value=0.004, Beta=0.2, P value=0.039, Beta=0.18, P value=0.041 respectively. Onethird of frail patients had an event, while the incidence in pre-frail was 11.2%, and among robust patients, 6.3%. Physicians' global assessment of a patient's being frail did not match the structured FRAIL scoring well. Only five (25%) of the twenty patients identified as frail by the FRAIL assessment tool were judged by physicians' global assessment tool as frail or having cognitive function impairment.Frailty is prevalent among elderly patients with diabetes. Disparity exists between subjective and objective frailty assessments, emphasizing the need for standardized evaluation methods. Using the FRAIL tool is recommended for patients aged 60 or older with diabetes in Abu Dhabi.

    Keywords: Frailty, Diabetes Mellitus, Fasting, adverse events, Risk Assessment

    Received: 30 Apr 2024; Accepted: 30 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Baynouna Al Ketbi, Afandi, Nagelkerke, Abdubaqi, Al Nuaimi, Al Saedi, Al Blooshi, Al Blooshi, AlAryani, Al Marzooqi, Al Khouri, Al Mansoori and Hassanein. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Bachar Afandi, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
    Nico Nagelkerke, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, AlAin, 15551, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
    Hanan Abdubaqi, Ambulatory Healthcare Services, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
    Ruqaya Al Nuaimi, Ambulatory Healthcare Services, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
    Mariam Al Saedi, Ambulatory Healthcare Services, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
    Fatima Al Blooshi, Ambulatory Healthcare Services, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
    Noura Al Blooshi, Ambulatory Healthcare Services, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
    Aysha AlAryani, Ambulatory Healthcare Services, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
    Nouf Al Marzooqi, Ambulatory Healthcare Services, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
    Amal Al Khouri, Ambulatory Healthcare Services, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
    Shamsa Al Mansoori, Ambulatory Healthcare Services, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
    Mohammad Hassanein, Dubai Hospital, Dubai, 7272, United Arab Emirates

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