Toward a conceptual definition of frail community dwelling older people

In order to be able to identify frail community-dwelling older people, a reliable and valid definition of the concept of frailty is necessary. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the literature on conceptual and operational definitions of frailty, and to determine which definitions a...

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Published inNursing Outlook Vol. 58; no. 2; pp. 76 - 86
Main Authors Gobbens, Robbert J., Luijkx, Katrien G., Wijnen-Sponselee, Maria T., Schols, Jos M.
Format Journal Article Book Review
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Mosby, Inc 01.03.2010
Elsevier Science Ltd
Subjects
Aged
Community
Community living
Comorbidity
Consensus
Definitions
Disability
Frail
Frail Elderly
Frailty
Geriatric Assessment - methods
Homebound Persons
Humans
Models, Nursing
Multidimensional approach
Nursing
Nursing Assessment - methods
Nursing Evaluation Research
Older people
Research Design
Studies
Vulnerable Populations
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Summary:In order to be able to identify frail community-dwelling older people, a reliable and valid definition of the concept of frailty is necessary. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the literature on conceptual and operational definitions of frailty, and to determine which definitions are most appropriate for identifying frail community-dwelling older people. Therefore, a computerized search was performed in the PubMed database, Web of Science and PsychInfo. A successful definition of frailty reflects a multidimensional approach, makes clear its dynamic state, predicts adverse outcomes, does not include disease, comorbidity or disability, and meets the criterion of practicability. None of the current conceptual and operational definitions meet these criteria. In this article a new integral conceptual definition of frailty is proposed which meets the criteria of a successful definition.
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ISSN:0029-6554
1528-3968
DOI:10.1016/j.outlook.2009.09.005