Frailty inclusive care in acute and community-based settings: a systematic review protocol

The general health and functional status of patients prior to acute illness and other stressors are accepted as important determinants of hospital outcomes [1, 2]. This status can be captured by measuring frailty, an age-related state of increased vulnerability with disproportionate changes in health status in response to stressors [3]. This creates the opportunity to develop and implement care protocols that are tailored to the health needs of persons who live with frailty.

As the worldwide population ages, the associated increase in prevalence of frailty across the care continuum presents urgent challenges to providing consistently appropriate care. Recent findings from cohort studies have shown prevalence of frailty in the Canadian adult community population is 8-24%, increasing as age advances from 2% (18-34 years) to 20% (≥65 years) [4, 5]. Frailty is common in assisted living environments (29%), and among adults admitted to ICU (28-32%) [6‐9]. Frailty in hospitalized patients has been associated with gradient increases in hospital mortality, intensity of organ support, frequency and duration of health services use, and cost, when compared to non-frail patients [8‐10].

Despite knowledge that frailty presents high risk for suboptimal outcomes, development and evaluation of comprehensive frailty interventions appears limited to specific circumstances such as improving patient flow after surgery (enhanced recovery after surgery [ERAS]), addressing frailty-related diseases or disability (e.g., delirium, dementia, depression), and providing focused interventions (e.g., nutrition, exercise) in acute and community-based care settings. The opportunity to view frailty as a multi-system syndrome is often overlooked by generic pathways where aspects of frailty are entirely unnoticed or assumed to be addressed by broad criteria such as chronological age. Frailty inclusive care, as defined herein, is an approach to care in any setting that starts with authentic frailty case-finding, followed by further assessment of the underlying vulnerabilities (components), and then leading to advance care planning, general measures to prevent or slow progression, and specific steps to address frailty components. Frailty inclusive care interventions may be generic, or may be specific to medical condition or care setting.

The primary aim of this project is to rigorously examine and document the quality of evidence for multi-component interventions (e.g., frailty-inclusive care pathways) encompassing the broader patient journey through both community and hospital care. In so doing, we will be mindful of a variety of frailty constructs and measures, and the ways that frailty inclusive care has been operationalized using different frailty assessment measures, evaluated based on any comparators and outcomes across patient populations. This will directly inform further development and implementation of frailty-specific recommendations as part of a larger program of work in this area.

The full systematic review protocol is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (ID CRD42020166733, April 28, 2020). A recent search of PROSPERO and the Cochrane Library indicated there were no registered reviews focused on the proposed topic. A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) checklist is included as an additional file [11] (Additional file 1).

Frailty is a relatively new term, and describes both the state of exaggerated vulnerability associated with age-related deficit accumulation, and the associated multidimensional syndrome. To be acceptable to clinicians and the patients they serve, frailty must meaningfully inform decisions about care. As the population ages, health care systems face growing numbers of patients with frailty who may derive less benefit or even more harm from aggressive interventions and invasive procedures while adding cost across the system [127, 128]. In present circumstances, where specialist geriatrician resources are limited, the entire health care workforce needs to be empowered with valid methods of screening for frailty and delivering bespoke models of care [129]. Frailty inclusive care pathways may provide useful guidance in the care of older patients living with frailty in hospital, intermediate and community settings, where clinicians may benefit from presentation of precise considerations in specific patient populations (e.g., primary care, emergency department, surgery) who transition between care settings. Consistent frailty screening and application of frailty-inclusive interventions through existing care pathways and routine care may provide meaningful context to all associated decisions and care provided for this vulnerable population.

Frailty-inclusive care interventions that can be incorporated into existing pathways for any disease or clinical setting are an essential part of care continuity for people living with frailty. This review will inform future work to develop and implement pathways aiming to improve the care received by this vulnerable population.