Benefit of the Acti-GATT mobility assessment versus the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and Tinetti test in acute geriatric care

Introduction: Although mobility is recorded via standard assessments, a change-sensitive method that derives realistic therapy goals and maps severely affected patients without floor effects is currently lacking. This article presents Acti-GATT (Activity-Geriatric Assessment Target Therapy), an assessment instrument developed for early rehabilitation in acute geriatric care. Method: The Acti-GATT system was developed by a multiprofessional team to document mobility development and specify realistic therapy targets using 16 items (scored 0–5). Data from 993 patients (2019) were analysed, comparing Acti-GATT with the Tinetti test and “Timed Up and Go” (TUG). Validation included graphical and correlation analyses, alongside a modified reliability analysis involving 20 investigators evaluating 4 video scenarios. Results: Acti-GATT showed a moderate correlation with the Tinetti test at admission ( r partial = 0.728) and a strong correlation at discharge ( r partial = 0.865). While TUG and Tinetti exhibited pronounced floor effects, Acti-GATT remained change-sensitive with no floor effects. Interrater reliability was acceptable. Conclusion: Compared with the existing assessments examined in this study, Acti-GATT enabled more differentiated outcome-oriented documentation with reduced floor effects in this single-centre acute geriatric sample. It supported the definition of relevant therapy goals and captured therapeutic progress in severely impaired geriatric inpatients.