Targeted Geriatric Assessment for Fast-Paced Healthcare Settings (TaGA): Validity and Reliability Study of the Turkish Version

Abstract

This study aimed to describe the cross-cultural adaptation of the Turkish version of the Targeted Geriatric Assessment (TaGA) and to evaluate its test–retest reliability, concurrent validity, known-groups validity, and ability to discriminate frailty. This methodological study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the TaGA was cross-culturally adapted into Turkish according to internationally accepted guidelines. In the second phase, test–retest reliability was evaluated in 29 community-dwelling older adults, while validity analyses were performed in 98 older adults. Reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients, the standard error of measurement (SEM), and the minimal detectable change (MDC). Validity was examined through concurrent validity, known-groups validity, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. The total TaGA score demonstrated excellent test–retest reliability, with an ICC (2,1) of 0.908 (95% CI: 0.817–0.959). Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were 0.912 and 0.929, respectively. The SEM and MDC were calculated as 0.038 and 0.105, respectively. Concurrent validity analyses showed that the total TaGA score was significantly associated, in the expected direction, with the Clinical Frailty Scale, FRAIL Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, Barthel Index, Mini-Mental State Examination, Mini Nutritional Assessment, and the number of medications. In the known-groups validity analysis, frail participants had significantly higher TaGA scores than non-frail participants. ROC analysis demonstrated good discriminative ability for frailty, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.857, an optimal cutoff score of 0.350, a sensitivity of 85.7%, and a specificity of 75.3%. These findings indicate that the Turkish version of the TaGA is a reliable and valid instrument for the rapid screening of geriatric risks and frailty among older adults.