Sarcopenia and SARC-F: “Perfect is the Enemy of Good”

In this issue of The Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA), Voelker and colleagues present the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis measuring the reliability and concurrent validity of the SARC-F.1 The study reports data gathered from 29 articles and more than 20,000 participants. Overall, the SARC-F shows relatively good inter-rater and test-retest reliability. However, the authors conclude that despite its high specificity, the low to moderate sensitivity of the SARC-F makes it nonoptimal for the screening of sarcopenia. Moreover, Voelker and colleagues tend to discourage the use of the SARC-F, suggesting the direct application of the diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia without prior screening.