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Identifying frailty in primary care: A systematic review
Linda Lee1,2,3, Tejal Patel1,2,4, Loretta M Hillier5,6
1Center for Family Medicine Family Health Team, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
Geriatrics & Gerontology International
|April 13, 2017
Summary
Identifying frailty in primary care needs better tools. This review found no single, definitive marker for frailty, highlighting a need for more research into practical, accurate frailty assessment methods.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Primary Care Medicine
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Frailty identification in primary care is crucial for timely intervention.
- Current methods for frailty assessment may lack easily identifiable markers.
- Ambulatory care settings require practical tools for frailty screening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review validated markers and risk tools for frailty.
- To assess the utility of these markers in the ambulatory care setting.
- To identify potential improvements for frailty detection in primary care.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive database search (Medline, PubMed, CIHAHL, Embase) up to March 2016.
- Inclusion criteria: studies in primary/outpatient care, validated frailty definition, comparison of markers, specific study designs.
- Focus on community-dwelling individuals aged 65 years and older.
Main Results:
- Twelve studies were included from 3405 initial titles.
- All included studies utilized prospective cohort designs.
- Biological markers (immune, inflammation, endocrine, metabolic syndrome) were frequently assessed, but no single definitive marker emerged.
Conclusions:
- A significant lack of psychometrically sound and clinically applicable frailty markers exists.
- Further research is essential to discover sensitive, specific, and accurate markers.
- The goal is to find markers feasible for use in busy primary care practices.