Frailty is a common state of health in which the body gradually loses its in-built reserves to respond to health challenges, such as infections and other stressors. It is linked to ageing and an increased risk of poor health outcomes, such as disability, falls, and hospitalisation. The number of patients aged 75+ attending emergency departments has increased by over 20% in Ireland over the past five years and the national unscheduled and emergency care programme has highlighted the need for the early identification of frailty in these patients. Emerging evidence suggests pathways of hospital care that are tailored to this patient group improve their health and quality of life.
In this study, we will determine the number of patients with frailty among hospitalised patients aged 65+ in a large, acute hospital in the West of Ireland, collecting data on a single day. 30 days later, we will collect information on how long the patients stayed in hospital, whether they were readmitted or transitioned to long-term care, and whether they died. We will compare these findings to similar data collected in May 2016. Frailty will be assessed using the Clinical Frailty Scale, which has nine categories that describe the severity of frailty, ranging from very fit to very severely frail and terminally ill.
Statistical analysis will explore the relationship between patient characteristics, patient care outcomes, and their degree of frailty. We expect that the number of patients with frailty will have increased since 2016 and that patients with greater frailty will have worse outcomes, including increased length of stay, risk of readmission, risk of transition to long-term care, and death. The findings will support the design and development of integrated care pathways for older people with frailty, ultimately improving their outcomes, such as quality of life and better long-term care planning.