External validation of the PROFUND index in polypathological patients from internal medicine and acute geriatrics departments in Aragón

The objective of the study was to validate externally and prospectively the PROFUND index to predict survival of polypathological patients after a year. An observational, prospective and multicenter study was performed. Polypathological patients admitted to an internal medicine or geriatrics department and attended by investigators consecutively between March 1 and June 30, 2011 were included. Data concerning age, gender, comorbidity, Barthel and Lawton–Brody indexes, Pfeiffer questionnaire, socio-familial Gijon scale, delirium, number of drugs and number of admissions during the previous year were gathered for each patient. The PROFUND index was calculated. The follow-up lasted 1 year. A Cox proportional regression model was calculated, and was used to analyze the association of the variables to mortality and C-statistic. 465 polypathological patients, 333 from internal medicine and 132 from geriatrics, were included. One-year mortality is associated with age [hazard ratio (HR) 1.52 95 % CI 1.04–2.12; p = 0.01], presence of neoplasia [HR 2.68 95 % CI 1.71–4.18; p = 0.0001] and dependence for basic activities of daily living [HR 2.34 95 % CI 1.61–3.40; p = 0.0009]. In predicting mortality, the PROFUND index shows good discrimination in patients from internal medicine (C-statistics 0.725 95 % CI 0.670–0.781), but a poor one in those from geriatrics (0.546 95 % CI 0.448–0.644). The PROFUND index is a reliable tool for predicting mortality in internal medicine PP patients.