[Interest of follow-up of recommendations over a period of 6 months for elderly subjects who have been screened for frailty]

Geriatr Psychol Neuropsychiatr Vieil. 2019 Jun 1;17(2):145-152. doi: 10.1684/pnv.2018.0773.
[Article in French]

Abstract

Frailty is a partially reversible geriatric syndrome. Its prevention requires a structured screening, and is a major public health issue given the increasing life expectancy of the population. The observance of the recommendations made after a screening of the frailty patients is not well known. The objective of our research was to describe the characteristics of patients evaluated in a frailty-day-hospital and followed up recommendation adherence at 3 and 6 months.

Methods: patients aged over 65 years old with an ADL score of at least 5 out of 6, were evaluated according to the Fried score to classify patients into pre-frailty or frailty patients. According to the standardized geriatric assessment, recommendations were prescribed for each medico-social situation according to HAS recommendations. A follow-up assessment of these measures was carried out at home basis at 3 and 6 months.

Results: 82 patients were included, with mean age of 83.7±5.7 years. 99% were pre-frail or frail and received an average of 3.7±1.7 recommendations. At 3 months, there is an inverse correlation between number and follow-up compliance (r=-0.340, p=0.008), as well as at 6 months (r=-0.352, p=0.006). Between 3 and 6 months, there is a significant increase recommendation number followed (r=0.707, p=0.000).

Conclusion: at 6 months, 74.3% recommendations were realized, with a significant increase of recommendation number between the 3rd and 6th month. This result is encouraging by showing the benefit of home support in recommendations follow-up.

Keywords: comprehensive geriatric assessment; elderly people; frailty; screening; secondary prevention.

MeSH terms

  • Activities of Daily Living
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Frail Elderly*
  • Frailty / diagnosis
  • Frailty / epidemiology
  • Frailty / rehabilitation*
  • France / epidemiology
  • Geriatric Assessment
  • Guideline Adherence
  • Guidelines as Topic
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mass Screening
  • Patient Compliance
  • Secondary Prevention
  • Socioeconomic Factors