Validated measurement instruments for the idosa portuguese population

Introduction: In Portugal, the population of elderly people has grown exponentially, resulting in a continued and intense demographic aging. Multiple responses to this reality require, as essential, the development of a guided multidisciplinary and differentiated intervention, among other strategies, by a geriatric assessment process supported by the use of measuring instruments, calibrated and validated for the Portuguese population. In this context, the aim of this study was to identify and characterize instruments considered scientifically valid, to apply in the context of bio-psycho-social assessment of the Portuguese elderly, making them available in a repository housed in a free-access online platform - www. maisidosos.com - developed for this purpose. Methods: Using Medline, PubMed, PsycLIT, EBSCO, Google Scholar, B-On and with the help of extra strategies, a systematic review of the literature was carried out for the selection of instruments. Research on the bases did not stipulated, at first, any date range, and the results were assessed based on the previously established inclusion criteria. A systematic scrutiny of the psychometric properties of the measuring instruments was also performed. Results: A significant number of instruments were identified as having addressed the elderly, in many different fields and contexts. Most of them result from cross-cultural adaptations, following a style of metric measurement and easy to use. As for the evidence of psychometric adequacy, the assessed indicators showed that most of the selected measurement / evaluation instruments present good evidence of validity and reliability, although some still need further investigation to support the power of generalization of the results and their applicability in very specific contexts. Conclusion: This study constitutes an asset for the development of a practice based on scientific evidence, being that, with a clear and systematic research methodology, based on a rigorous analysis of the obtained results, provides a set of measuring instruments with a view to promote a qualified intervention to support the establishment of even safer diagnoses, interventions and prognostics.