Purpose: To report some psychometric properties of the functional status assessment of seniors in the emergency department (FSAS-ED) at item level. This 40-item tool addresses the person's functional status prior to and following the decision to consult in ED.
Method: A sample of 150 community-living elderly individuals who consulted the ED was recruited. Two evaluators administered the FSAS-ED in the ED and scored it independently. Three measurement properties were considered relevant for the item analysis: response distribution, inter-rater reliability and the ability to indicate a change between before and following the decision to consult ED. Criteria related to these properties were established to classify items as being excellent, acceptable or weak.
Results: The response distributions were excellent or acceptable for 36 items (90%). Results pertaining to inter-rater reliability showed 39 excellent or acceptable items (97.5%). Comparison of the responses between before and following the decision to consult to ED showed 24 (60%) excellent or acceptable items and 16 (40%) weak items; the latter were related to communication and cognitive skills.
Conclusions: At the item level, the FSAS-ED provides reliable and clinically relevant information about the functional status of older adults consulting ED.