Factors Associated With Frailty Clinic Utilization by High-Need High-Risk Older Adult Veterans

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Multidomain clinical interventions can benefit high-risk older adults with frailty.
• Patient participation in these geriatric programs is variable.
• Understanding factors influencing participation is crucial for program success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify patient characteristics associated with participation in an outpatient frailty clinic intervention.
• To explore factors influencing engagement in comprehensive geriatric care.
• To apply the Andersen Behavioral Model to understand participation patterns.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of high-need, high-risk older adult patients offered a frailty clinic intervention (FIT clinic).
• Utilized the Andersen Behavioral Model framework (predisposing, need, enabling factors).
• Employed bivariate analyses to examine associations between patient characteristics and clinic participation.

Main Results:

• Being married and African American race were initially associated with higher participation (predisposing factors).
• Association with African American race diminished when controlling for chronic conditions.
• Essential hypertension, type II diabetes mellitus, and overweight/obesity were linked to increased participation (need factors).
• No significant differences were found for enabling factors due to data limitations.

Conclusions:

• The Andersen Behavioral Model offers insights into participation in geriatric interventions for high-risk older adults.
• Specific patient needs, such as chronic conditions, are key drivers of participation in frailty clinics.
• Further research on enabling factors could enhance engagement strategies for comprehensive geriatric care.