Cardiac Rehabilitation And Quality Of Life Scores

Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) Calculator

Clinical calculation support · Verify results before clinical use

Frailty assessment

Select the single category that best reflects the patient's baseline function and dependence.

— CFS score

Clinical Frailty Scale category (1–9)

Assess the person's usual status before the current acute illness, not the temporary effect of the acute illness itself. Use clinical judgement and the official scale's descriptors.

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About the Clinical Frailty Scale

The Clinical Frailty Scale is a global clinical judgement scale that summarizes fitness and frailty using function, activity, and dependence. The contemporary scale has nine categories, from Very Fit (1) to Terminally Ill (9).

Score descriptors

Score	Category	Summary
1	Very Fit	People who are robust, active, energetic, and motivated. They commonly exercise regularly and are among the fittest for their age.
2	Fit	People without active disease symptoms who are less fit than category 1. They may exercise or be very active occasionally, for example seasonally.
3	Managing Well	Medical problems are well controlled, but activity is generally limited to routine walking rather than regular exercise.
4	Living with Very Mild Frailty	Not dependent on others for daily help, but symptoms often limit activities. The person may feel slowed down or tired during the day.
5	Living with Mild Frailty	Slowing is more evident and help is needed with higher-order instrumental activities such as finances, transportation, or heavy housework. Shopping, meal preparation, medications, and light housework may also become difficult.
6	Living with Moderate Frailty	Needs help with all outside activities and keeping house. Indoors, there may be difficulty with stairs and a need for help with bathing or some dressing tasks.
7	Living with Severe Frailty	Completely dependent for personal care because of physical or cognitive problems, but appears stable and is not at high risk of dying within approximately 6 months.
8	Living with Very Severe Frailty	Completely dependent for personal care and approaching end of life; typically unlikely to recover even from a minor illness.
9	Terminally Ill	Approaching end of life, with life expectancy under 6 months, but not otherwise evidently frail. This category is for terminal illness rather than frailty alone.

Clinical use and limitations

Use the patient's usual baseline status and functional ability to inform scoring.
Do not infer a score from age, a single diagnosis, or an acute deterioration alone.
Category 9 identifies terminal illness and does not, by itself, mean the person is frail.
The original 2005 publication described a 7-point scale. The scale was expanded to nine categories in 2007 and revised as version 2.0 in 2020.
The CFS is judgement-based, not a self-report questionnaire, and is not designed for disability caused by a single-system problem or developmental delay.

References

Rockwood K, Song X, MacKnight C, et al. A global clinical measure of fitness and frailty in elderly people. CMAJ. 2005;173(5):489–495. doi:10.1503/cmaj.050051

Dalhousie University, Geriatric Medicine Research. Clinical Frailty Scale resources, version history, and use guidance. Official resource page. Permission may be required for use; confirm the applicable terms before publication.

Clinical disclaimer: This calculator supports documentation and clinical assessment; it does not replace a trained clinician's judgement or the official Clinical Frailty Scale materials. Confirm the appropriate version and local usage requirements before clinical implementation. Do not use the score alone to determine treatment limitation or resource allocation.