Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Apr;12(2):321-332.
doi: 10.1007/s41999-020-00420-0. Epub 2020 Oct 30.

Perceptions, attitudes and training needs of primary healthcare professionals in identifying and managing frailty: a qualitative study

Christina Avgerinou  1 , Marina Kotsani  2 , Magda Gavana  3 , Martha Andreou  4 , Dimitra-Iosifina Papageorgiou  3 , Violeta Roka  5 , Despoina Symintiridou  6 , Chrysanthi Manolaki  7 , George Soulis  8 , Emmanouil Smyrnakis  3
Affiliations

Perceptions, attitudes and training needs of primary healthcare professionals in identifying and managing frailty: a qualitative study

Christina Avgerinou et al. Eur Geriatr Med. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: Although frailty can be delayed or prevented by appropriate interventions, these are often not available in countries lacking formal education and infrastructure in geriatrics. The aim of this study was to: (a) explore ideas, perceptions and attitudes of primary health care (PHC) professionals towards frailty in a country where geriatrics is not recognised as a specialty; (b) explore PHC professionals' training needs in frailty; and (c) define components of a frailty educational programme in PHC.

Methods: Qualitative design, using two focus groups with PHC professionals conducted in Thessaloniki, Greece. Focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed. Data were analysed with thematic analysis.

Results: In total 31 PHC professionals (mean age: 46 years; gender distribution: 27 females, 4 males) participated in the study (physicians n = 17; nurses n = 12; health visitors n = 2). Four main themes were identified: (1) Perceptions and understanding of frailty; (2) Facilitators and barriers to frailty identification and management; (3) Motivation to participate in a frailty training programme; (4) Education and training. The main barriers for the identification and management of frailty were associated with the healthcare system, including duration of appointments, a focus on prescribing, and problems with staffing of allied health professionals, but also a lack of education. Training opportunities were scarce and entirely based on personal incentive. Professionals were receptive to training either face-to-face or online. A focus on learning practical skills was key.

Conclusion: Education and training of professionals and interdisciplinary collaboration are essential and much needed for the delivery of person-centred care for people with frailty living in the community.

Keywords: Education; Frailty; Geriatrics; Health professionals; Primary care; Qualitative research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

References

    1. Collard RM, Boter H, Schoevers RA, Oude Voshaar RC. Prevalence of frailty in community-dwelling older persons: a systematic review. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2012;60(8):1487–1492. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.04054.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Siriwardhana DD, Hardoon S, Rait R, Weerasinghe MC, Walters KR. Prevalence of frailty and prefrailty among community-dwelling older adults in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2018;8:e018195. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018195. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Clegg A, Young J, Iliffe S, Rikkert MO, Rockwood K. Frailty in elderly people. Lancet. 2013;381:752–762. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)62167-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kojima G. Frailty as a predictor of hospitalisation among community-dwelling older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2016;70(7):722–729. doi: 10.1136/jech-2015-206978. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kojima G. Frailty as a predictor of future falls among community-dwelling older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMDA. 2015;16:1027–1033. - PubMed