Perspectives on Frailty Among Emergency Physicians: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Emergency Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• The global population is aging, leading to a rise in frailty prevalence among older adults.
• Frailty, a state of increased vulnerability, is associated with higher healthcare utilization.
• Routine frailty assessment is not standard practice in emergency departments (EDs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore emergency physicians' (EPs) perspectives on frailty.
• To understand EPs' views on the meaning, detection, and management of frailty in the ED setting.
• To identify barriers and facilitators for implementing frailty assessments in EDs.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory qualitative descriptive study design was employed.
• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 EPs.
• Interview transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• EPs perceived frailty as a low priority due to focus on acuity, and lack of knowledge, time, and resources.
• Frailty detection and management were reported as informal rather than formal processes.
• EPs acknowledged a future beneficial role for frailty recognition and management in emergency care.

Conclusions:

• EPs currently do not prioritize frailty assessment in the emergency department.
• Despite barriers, EPs are open to increasing frailty awareness and implementing holistic management strategies.
• Enhanced frailty recognition and management in emergency medicine could benefit both patients and the healthcare system.