Perceptions, practices and educational needs of community nurses to manage frailty

摘要

Frailty is a major public health challenge often associated with ageing (World Health Organization, 2015; Cesari et al, 2016), and it is linked with falls, disability, hospitalisation, care home admission and even death (Clegg et al, 2013). Definitions of frailty are based either on a specified, five-point phenotype (weight loss, exhaustion, low physical activity, slowness and weakness) (Fried et al, 2001) or as an accumulation of deficits on different domains, including the cognitive and physical domains (Rockwood et al, 2005). Both definitions have negative connotations, such as being vulnerable or incapable (Nicholson et al, 2016). The contested nature of frailty can be even more prominent in diverse socio-cultural contexts (Hanlon et al, 2018). The prevalence of frailty is around 11% in people over the age of 65 years living in the community (Collard et al, 2012). Nevertheless, frailty can be prevented by early intervention to reduce the rate of functional decline and dependency (Travers et al, 2019). Proactive interventions and integrated approaches in the community can prevent frailty and optimise intrinsic capacity (British Geriatrics Society, 2014).