Frailty screening can help identify older people with multiple interacting medical and social problems which create a vulnerability for poor outcomes. This screening identifies people who will benefit from comprehensive assessment. Across Queensland, the Clinical Frailty Scale developed by Kenneth Rockwood, has been endorsed as the agreed standard frailty screening tool.
Identification of Frailty
Initiative Type
Redesign
Status
Plan
Added
Last updated
Summary
Key dates
Jun 2018
Jun 2020
Implementation sites
Older Person models of care are being implemented at 25 sites across Queensland, including 16 in the southeast corner and Cairns, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Mackay, Mount Isa, Townsville, Maryborough, Hervey Bay and Bundaberg.
Aim
To support improved identification of frail older persons to optimise care.
Benefits
- defines frailty for the Queensland context
- empowers clinicians to identify patients who would most benefit from targeted assessment
- assessment that translates into improved patient outcomes
Background
Frail people are at greater risk of death and other adverse health outcomes compared with others of the same age. Frailty identifies a state of increased vulnerability associated with but not distinct from increasing age and presence of multiple illness’s. In people who are frail, illnesses can present as nonspecific problems in walking, thinking or functioning, and standard treatments can often worsen the situation. It is vital that frailty is measured objectively and identified early in primary care to be responded to effectively.
Solutions Implemented
Clinical Frailty Scale being implemented in public Emergency Departments across Queensland.
