💪 SARC-F Sarcopenia Screening
UseScore each of the five domains (strength, walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, falls) 0–2; the tool…
SourceMalmstrom TK, Morley JE. SARC-F: a simple questionnaire to rapidly diagnose sarcopenia. J Am Med Di…
This-shift next steps
After scoring: open the scene pack, peer scores, and the matching pathway. Local reference — no HIS write.
Paste the link in Slack, Teams, X, or LinkedIn — the preview image comes from this page’s Open Graph card.
Methodology · worked example, guidelines & full notes
SARC-F has high specificity but only moderate sensitivity, so it is a rule-in first-line screen and a low score does not fully exclude sarcopenia in high-risk patients (original synthesis · not guideline verbatim).
When to use
Score each of the five domains (strength, walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, falls) 0–2; the tool totals them out of 10.
How it works
Total = strength + walking + chair-rising + stair-climbing + falls, each 0–2 (range 0–10). A total ≥4 suggests sarcopenia risk.
Key points
- SARC-F has high specificity but only moderate sensitivity, so it is a rule-in first-line screen and a low score does not fully exclude sarcopenia in high-risk patients (original synthesis · not guideline verbatim).
- A positive screen (≥4) should be followed by objective assessment: grip strength, gait speed, and muscle mass by DXA or BIA.
- Adding calf circumference (SARC-CalF) improves sensitivity where a more thorough first-pass screen is wanted.
References
Worked calculation
The values below come from this tool's own example placeholders and are computed server-side with the formula shown on this page, so the arithmetic can be checked quickly. It demonstrates how to substitute values only — it is not clinical advice and not a real case.
| Difficulty lifting ~5 kg | Some difficulty |
|---|---|
| Difficulty walking across a room | Some difficulty |
| Difficulty rising from a chair or bed | Some difficulty |
| Difficulty climbing 10 stairs | Some difficulty |
| Falls in the past year | 1–3 |
→SARC-F5pts
- Interpretation：Suggests sarcopenia risk, further assessment advised
| Difficulty lifting ~5 kg | No difficulty |
|---|---|
| Difficulty walking across a room | No difficulty |
| Difficulty rising from a chair or bed | No difficulty |
| Difficulty climbing 10 stairs | No difficulty |
| Falls in the past year | None |
→SARC-F0pts
- Interpretation：Lower sarcopenia risk
Verification & sources · governance
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- What are the limits and cautions when using SARC-F Sarcopenia Screening?
- For licensed clinicians and clinical researchers. Interpret results with history, investigations and local protocols; not a diagnosis or prescription, and not a substitute for multidisciplinary decision-making or local guidelines.
- Does SARC-F Sarcopenia Screening upload patient data? Where is it calculated?
- Calculation runs locally in the browser; inputs and results are not uploaded. For licensed clinicians only; interpret with history, investigations and local protocols — not a diagnosis or prescription.
- How is SARC-F Sarcopenia Screening calculated in practice? Can you show a worked example?
- Inputs: Difficulty lifting ~5 kg Some difficulty, Difficulty walking across a room Some difficulty, Difficulty rising from a chair or bed Some difficulty, Difficulty climbing 10 stairs Some difficulty, Falls in the past year 1–3 → Result: SARC-F 5 pts（Interpretation: Suggests sarcopenia risk, further assessment advised） Inputs: Difficulty lifting ~5 kg No difficulty, Difficulty walking across a room No difficulty, Difficulty rising from a chair or bed No difficulty, Difficulty climbing 10 stairs No difficulty, Falls in the past year None → Result: SARC-F 0 pts（Interpretation: Lower sarcopenia risk）