Facing frailty: Are you ready?

Abstract

By far, there is no general consensus concerning the definition of frailty even though it may be a global public health concern with aging of the population. It is regarded as a pathophysiological state before development of a severe illness that is associated with many adverse outcomes. Although previous studies attempted to verify its clinical value to prevent the development of serious illness, robust evidence is lacking. Based on previous studies of frailty, the current study analyzed the problems with existing investigations of frailty and it puts forward future strategies to improve those investigations. Finalizing the definition of frailty is the first step. Next, development of objective tools to identify/measure frailty based on the newest biological and computerized technologies is indispensable. Finally, well-designed clinical trials also need to be conducted to yield compelling evidence regarding the clinical value of medical interventions in frailty.

Keywords: assessment tools; clinical outcome; frailty; population aging; rehabilitation.