Age-friendly hospitals: a concept analysis

In light of the growing ageing population, the World Health Organization called for special attention to the age-friendliness of hospitals. Despite the concept of 'age-friendly hospitals' promising to enhance health care, there is no consensus within the field regarding its definition. The aim of this concept analysis was to clarify the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of age-friendly hospitals, thereby fostering a deeper understanding of the concept.

Walker and Avant's eight-step concept analysis method was employed. A systematic review of the Literature on age-friendly hospital settings was conducted across 11 electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL (EBSCO), Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP Database, Airiti Library, and SinoMed. The original search covered publications from each database's inception to November 2022. An updated search (December 2023) captured studies published after the initial search and up to December 2023, with duplicates excluded. Two researchers independently screened the literature and cross-checked it against the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A qualitative content analysis was conducted for data synthesis.

A total of 5,489 records were identified through the initial and updated searches. After removing duplicates and screening titles and abstracts, 56 articles were included in the final analysis. The defining attributes of age-friendly hospitals were identified as adapting to the developmental needs, promoting the autonomy and engagement, and a sense of ease and burden-free for older adults. Antecedents included recognizing the unique needs of older adults, a discrepancy between needs and hospital services, and a transformation of health care. The consequences of implementing age-friendly hospitals can be categorized into three themes: promoting the health, function, and well-being of older adults, improving satisfaction with the hospital experience, and advancing levels of hospital services.

By providing a clear understanding of what an age-friendly hospital entails, our theoretical definition allows for a more systematic approach to evaluating and improving hospital facilities for older adults. The theoretical definition proposed in this paper can be used as a starting point for operationalizing the concept, which will facilitate the optimization of future age-friendly hospital standards and the development of empirical studies.