Forecasting Readmission Risk in Older Heart Failure Patients with Frailty Assessment Tools

Abstract

The intersection of advanced age and chronic heart failure presents a profound challenge to modern healthcare systems, primarily driven by high rates of hospital readmission. Traditional risk stratification models often fail to account for the complex vulnerability associated with biological aging, specifically the syndrome of frailty. This paper presents a comprehensive cohort study designed to evaluate and predict readmission risk in older heart failure patients utilizing multiple validated frailty assessment tools. By integrating clinical, demographic, and geriatric assessment data from a prospective cohort, the study systematically compares the predictive utility of instruments such as the Fried Phenotype and the Clinical Frailty Scale. The primary objective is to determine how the incorporation of frailty metrics into standard clinical models enhances the precision of predicting thirty-day and ninety-day readmissions. Furthermore, the analysis explores the underlying trajectories of functional decline that precipitate acute decompensation. The findings aim to facilitate a transition from disease-centric risk assessment to a multidimensional, patient-centered paradigm, ultimately guiding targeted interventions to mitigate the escalating cycle of recurrent hospitalizations in this vulnerable demographic.