Korean J Fam Pract.  2021 Aug;11(4):223-235. 10.21215/kjfp.2021.11.4.223.

Clinical Practice Guideline for Frailty Applicable in Primary Care Setting

• You HS
• Kwon YJ
• Kim S
• Kim YH
• Kim Ys
• Kim Y
• Roh Yk
• Park B
• Park YK
• Park CH
• Son JS
• Shin J
• Shin HY
• Oh B
• Lee Jw
• Shim JY
• Won CW
• Yoo JW
• Lee SH
• Kang HT
• Lee DC

• KMID: 2519276
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2021.11.4.223

Abstract

With aging becoming a global issue, the interest in healthy aging has increased as well. Healthy aging focuses on maintaining the functions and wellbeing of the elderly rather than merely treating their medical conditions. Thus, the management of frailty, which is characterized by the accumulation of functional declines, is important for achieving healthy aging. To develop clinical practice guidelines for frailty management applicable in primary care settings, the adaptation method was used and completed in the following three phases: (1) preparation (organizing committees and establishing scope of development); (2) literature screening and evaluation (selection of clinical practice guidelines for adaptation and evaluation using the Korean Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II); and (3) confirmation of recommendations (three rounds of Delphi consensus, and internal and external reviews). A total of 16 recommendations were made through the guideline development process. For diagnosis and assessment, five recommendations related to screening, diagnosis, and assessment of frailty were included. Intervention and monitoring included 11 recommendations regarding polypharmacy, physical activities, nutrition and oral health, vitamins and hormones, cognitive function, fall, social frailty, and monitoring. These clinical practice guidelines provide overall guidance on the identification, evaluation, intervention, and monitoring of frailty, applicable in primary care settings. With the growing importance of aging and healthy aging, the clinical usefulness of these guidelines is also expected to increase.

Keyword

Frailty; Practice Guideline; Aging; Primary Health Care