Frailty Assessment Scale for Heart Failure: Development and Psychometric Validation.

Background: Frailty is common in patients with heart failure. Specific scales, including the Clinical Frailty Scale, exist but have not undergone thorough psychometric validation among patients with heart failure.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Frailty Assessment Scale for Heart Failure (FAS-HF) in patients with heart failure.

Methods: This study included 3 phases. In phase I, conceptualization and item generation, the FAS-HF was initially developed through the analysis of qualitative research data and a literature review. In phase II, item selection and content validity, the Delphi method was used to gather experts' opinions and suggestions regarding the FAS-HF. In phase III, field testing and psychometric evaluation, a cross-sectional study of 184 patients with heart failure in northern Taiwan was conducted to test the reliability and validity of the FAS-HF.

Results: The 15-item FAS-HF included the physical, psychological, and social frailty domains. The total score ranged from 0 to 45, with higher scores representing frailer individuals. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the cumulative loading variance was 57.39%. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the goodness-of-fit index (0.91), adjusted goodness-of-fit index (0.87), and root mean square error of approximation (0.06) were acceptable for model fit. Acceptable reliability was found, with a Cronbach α coefficient of 0.87 and a test-retest reliability of 0.99. Compared with the Fried frailty phenotype, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.94, and the optimal cutoff score for frailty was 20.

Conclusions: The FAS-HF has good reliability, validity, and discrimination and can be used as a frailty indicator for patients with heart failure.