Development and validation of an Online Comprehensive Geriatric Screening (O-CGS) Tool

Background: The healthcare landscape is undergoing a significant transformation through digitalization. Embracing digital technology presents an opportunity to enhance the health and well-being of older adults. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and evaluate the validity and usability of an online comprehensive geriatric screening (O-CGS) tool for intrinsic capacity declines. Methods: Between September 2023 and September 2024, 381 community-dwelling Thai adults aged 55 and above were recruited at the health check-up clinic of a university hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, using convenience sampling. To evaluate the validity, all participants had completed an initial online self-administered assessment followed by face-to-face reference standard assessments. Sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were reported. Results: Among 381 participants, the median age was 64.8 years, with 85% being female. The prevalence of geriatric syndromes ranged from 2.4% (frailty) to 50% (cognitive impairment). The sensitivity of the screening tool varied from 48% (for sarcopenia) to 100% (for depression), while specificity ranged from 54% (for fall risk) to 98% (for sarcopenia). Notably, the newly developed online cognitive screening tool demonstrated acceptable performance in detecting mild cognitive impairment and severe cognitive impairment, with a sensitivity of 61% and specificity of 63%. On average, participants spent 37 min completing the O-CGS. Additionally, participants reported high satisfaction with the tool, with a mean score of 4.4 out of 5. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the satisfactory performance and feasibility of a self-administered O-CGS tool, aligning with the healthy aging concept.