Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses,
and Loss of
Weight (FRAIL) Scale
- Administration time: 3 minutes
- Relies on self-report only
- Measures physical frailty
Fatigue
1. "How much of the time during the past 4 weeks did you feel tired?"
Resistance
2. "By yourself and not using aids, do you have any difficulty walking up 10 steps without resting?"
Ambulation
3. "By yourself and not using aids, do you have any difficulty walking several hundred yards?"
Illness
4. "Did a doctor ever tell you that you have the following diagnosis (check all that apply)?"
Loss of weight
5. "Have you had weight loss of > 5% from your weight 1 year ago?"
Key references
- Abellan van Kan G, Rolland YM, Morley JE, Vellas B. Frailty: toward a clinical definition. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2008 Feb;9(2):71-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2007.11.005. PMID: 18261696.
- Morley JE, Malmstrom TK, Miller DK. A simple frailty questionnaire (FRAIL) predicts outcomes in middle aged African Americans. J Nutr Health Aging. 2012 Jul;16(7):601-8. doi: 10.1007/s12603-012-0084-2. PMID: 22836700; PMCID: PMC4515112.