The DAMAGE score is a prognostic score dedicated to patients aged 75 and over who discharge from an acute geriatric unit. It calculates the risk of mortality at 3 months and at 12 months from the day of discharge.
This score is taken from the prospective multicenter cohort DAMAGE (pubmed link). It was established by a logistic regression model with a derivation cohort and a validation cohort. It is aimed at physicians specializing in aging in order to provide relevant information to their patients about their risk of future death. This information can allow patients to make informed decisions about what level of care they want to receive in the event of a new health event and the writing of advance directives.
To use the score, you must provide:
- general information about the patient before hospitalization;
- information on the characteristics on arrival in the service (72h);
- information on the development during the stay until discharge.
The calculation gives two results:
- belonging to a risk group (low, medium, high) with medium risk of the group and 95% confidence interval
- the individual risk of mortality expressed as a percentage. This individual risk should be interpreted with caution.