Patients in need of comprehensive geriatric assessment: The utility of the InterRAI emergency department screener

•Identifying subsets of older adults at risk for adverse outcomes is important.•Construct validity of the interRAI ED-screener was compared to established instruments.•We found the interRAI ED screener was easy to use and predicted adverse outcomes.•Identifying the older adults likely to benefit from geriatric service is recommended.•Effectively screening older adults at ED might minimize readmissions. The interRAI Emergency Department-Screener (ED-screener) is a risk stratification instrument incorporating functional and social aspects to identify older adults in EDs. The aim was to assess the construct validity and utility of the ED-screener in comparison with more established instruments. The ED-screener, Triage Risk Screening Tool (TRST) and Identification of Seniors at Risk (ISAR) were administered to older ED-patients. Construct validity was assessed by correlation with TRST and ISAR. The ED-screener scores that corresponded to the established cut-offs for ISAR and TRST were assessed with linear regression. The sensitivity and specificity of the ED-screener for mortality at 4-months were calculated. Two hundred patients were included (mean age 78.5 years, 44% male). Majority (85%) lived at home, 43% lived alone and 53% received home care. The scores of 3.02 and 3.01 on ED-screener corresponded to the cut-off score of 2 on the other instruments. The correlation of the ED-screener with ISAR and TRST was 0.56 and 0.41 respectively. A score of 3 on the ED-screener was 100% sensitive and 28% specific for 4-month mortality. These findings provide support for the construct validity of the ED-screener and its ability to predict outcomes in its intended setting.