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Instruments to Assess Functional Status

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Geriatric Medicine

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Abstract

The essence of good geriatrics practice is the expert management of the medical, psychological, and social needs of elderly patients and, when applicable, their family caregivers. To accomplish this goal, the members of a multidisciplinary geriatrics team, when such a configuration exists, must translate their knowledge about a patient’s functional abilities and limitations, psychological state, social support, and personal preferences into recommendations that will often have far-reaching effects on both the patient’s and family members’ lifestyle. In the more usual case of a primary care physician working without a team, that physician nonetheless must become involved in collecting, synthesizing, interpreting, and weighting a formidable amount of patient information, if only to determine whether referrals for more detailed assessments are needed. Much of this information differs, in kind, from the laboratory values, physical signs and symptoms, radiology results, and other data that are combined to reach a medical diagnosis. In 1987 a Consensus Panel convened by the National Institute on Aging agreed that functional assessment, i.e., assessment of the patient’s “ability to function in the arena of everyday living,” is integral to medical decision making.1,2

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Authors
  1. Rosalie A. Kane
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Henry L. Schwartz Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, The Mount Sinai Medical Center, 10029-6574, New York, NY, USA

    Christine K. Cassel M.D. (Professor and Chairman) & Diane E. Meier M.D. (Associate Professor) (Professor and Chairman) &  (Associate Professor)

  2. Center for Study of Aging and Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Duke University Medical Center, 27710, Durham, NC, USA

    Harvey J. Cohen M.D. (Director) (Director)

  3. University of Washington Medical Center, 98195, Seattle, WA, USA

    Eric B. Larson M.D., M.P.H. (Medical Director) (Medical Director)

  4. Gerontology Division, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 02115, Boston, MA, USA

    Neil M. Resnick M.D. (Chief) (Chief)

  5. Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Sepulveda VA Medical Center, 91343, Sepulveda, CA, USA

    Laurence Z. Rubenstein M.D., M.P.H. (Director) (Director)

  6. Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, 60637, Chicago, IL, USA

    Leif B. Sorensen M.D. (Professor and Vice Chairman) (Professor and Vice Chairman)

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Kane, R.A. (1997). Instruments to Assess Functional Status. In: Cassel, C.K., et al. Geriatric Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2705-0_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2705-0_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-2707-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2705-0

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