
This article was written to reflect the importance of a correct quantification of the complexity of the elderly patient and its potential possibilities in clinical practice. From the decision to perform a laboratory test to the decision of the benefits of a determinate surgery through adjusting pathologies in several studies, most of our decisions depend on the complexity of our patients. Our decisions should be based on objective criteria that categorize thoe patients who may benefit from our decisions. One way is with comorbidity indexes. Another objective of this article was to review available methods to measure comorbidity and to assess its validity in the elderly. A search was made, with the keywords comorbidity, multi-morbidity and complexity associated with the elderly patient. The different methods were compared and different indexes are offered depending on our study’s patients.
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 30 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |
