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Objective: to verify the inter and intra-rater reproducibility of the Brazilian adapted version of the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) in an elderly group of residents., Method: in order to test the inter-rater reproducibility, two assessments were independently conducted by two researchers on the same day but at different times, in a sample of 103 elderly. Concerning the intra-rater reproducibility, the instrument was administered to 83 elderly (80.6% of the initial sample) by the same researcher in a time gap of 15 days between the two assessments., Results and Discussion: in relation to the inter-rater test, the Kappa was 0.81 (CI 0.61-1.00) and the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) corresponded to 0.87 (CI 0.82-0.91, p<0.001). In relation to the intra-rater test, the Kappa was 0.83 (CI 0.72-0.94) and the ICC 0.87 (CI 0.81-1.00, p<0.001)., Conclusion: the results show that the EFS is reliable and can be used as a tool to improve geriatric nursing care in Brazil.

Objective: To describe the socio-demographic characteristics and quality of life of elderly patients with systemic arterial hypertension; to correlate the quality of life with the time of diagnosis and number of medication, as well as to compare the quality of life with the type of medication., Method: In this cross sectional home survey design, 460 elderly people from rural areas were involved. The data was collected with the use of the following instruments: World Health Organization Quality of Life-bref and World Health Organization Quality of Life Olders. A descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation and t-Student test (p<0.05) were undertaken., Results: Predominant patient characteristics were: women between the age of 60 and 70, married, four to eight years of formal education, income of one minimum wage, living with their partners. The time of diagnosis was associated with lower quality of life in the physical domain. Elderly patients who used Inhibitors and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme and who did not use AT1 blocker had lower scores in relation to functioning of the senses. Those who used calcium channel blocker scored higher in relation to autonomy., Conclusion: there is a need for actions to control systemic arterial hypertension and its associated complications, with the purpose of improving quality of life.