Integrated Care Models for Managing and Preventing Frailty: A Systematic Review for the European Joint Action on Frailty Prevention (ADVANTAGE JA).

Frailty requires concerted integrated approaches to prevent functional decline. Although there is evidence that integrating care is effective for older people, there is insufficient data on outcomes from studies implementing integrated care to prevent and manage frailty. We systematically searched PubMed and Cochrane Library database for peer-reviewed medical literature on models of care for frailty, published from 2002 to 2017. We considered the effective and transferable components of the models of care and evidence of economic impact, where available. Information on European Union-funded projects or those registered with the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing, and grey literature (including good practices) were also considered. We found 1,065 potential citations and 170 relevant abstracts. After excluding reports on specific diseases, processes or interventions and service models that did not report data, 42 full papers met the inclusion criteria. The evidence showed that few models of integrated care were specifically designed to prevent and tackle frailty in the community and at the interface between primary and secondary (hospital) care. Current evidence supports the case for a more holistic and salutogenic response to frailty, blending a chronic care approach with education, enablement and rehabilitation to optimise function, particularly at times of a sudden deterioration in health, or when transitioning between home, hospital or care home. In all care settings, these approaches should be supported by comprehensive assessment and multidimensional interventions tailored to modifiable physical, psychological, cognitive and social factors.

The RAPid COmmunity COGnitive screening Programme (RAPCOG): Developing the Portuguese version of the Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment (Qmci-P) screen as part of the EIP on AHA Twinning Scheme.

As populations age and the prevalence of cognitive impairment increases, healthcare professionals and researchers require short, validated cognitive screening instruments (CSIs). As part the EIP-on-AHA Twinning Support Scheme (2016), four reference sites developed the RAPid COmmunity COGnitive screening Programme (RAPCOG) twinning project to validate translated versions of the Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment (Qmci) screen that could be adapted quickly for use with future eHealth screening and assessment programmes. Here we present the cultural adaption and translation of the Qmci-Portuguese (Qmci-P) screen as part of RAPCOG and explore its subsequent validation against two commonly-used CSIs (MMSE-P and MoCA-P) with 93 participants aged ≥65, attending ten day care centres or resident in two long-term care institutions; median age 74 (+/-15), 66% female. The Qmci-P's internal consistency was high (Cronbach's Alpha 0.82), compared with the MoCA (0.79) and SMMSE (0.54). Qmci-P screen scores moderately correlated with the SMMSE (r=0.61, 95% CI:0.45-0.72, p<0.001) and MoCA (r=0.63, 95% CI:0.36-0.80, p<0.001). The Qmci-P screen demonstrates high internal consistency and concurrent validity against more established CSIs and given its brevity (3-5mins), may be preferable for use in community settings. This project shows the potential of the EIP-on-AHA Twinning initiative to promote the scaling-up of innovative good practices.

Burden of disease, disability-adjusted life years and frailty prevalence.

BACKGROUND: Burden of disease (BoD) using disability-adjusted life years (DALY) is a useful summary measure of population health and estimates are provided for Ireland annually. We hypothesized that BoD may be used as a predictor of frailty prevalence. AIM: To examine the correlation between frailty measured by the accumulation of deficits (frailty index, FI) and Fried frailty phenotype (FFP) classifications and BoD, in an Irish context. DESIGN: Cross-sectional secondary analysis. METHODS: Data were obtained from waves two and three of The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe for Irish adults aged ≥65 in 2007. Frailty was defined by a 70-item FI and the FFP. Years lived with disability (YLD), years of life lost (YLL) and DALY were calculated using adapted equations from the World Health Organization and, where possible, disability weights, sequelae and durations as in the Global BoD (GBD) project (2016). RESULTS: Of 1035 participants, 442 were ≥65 years. Mean DALY were significantly higher in those identified as frail (FI: 3.31, P < 0.0001, n = 406; FFP: 2.46, P = 0.005, n = 319). For the FI, stronger correlation was found for DALY (r = 0.5431, P < 0.0001) than for age (r = 0.275, P < 0.0001). Controlling for confounders, DALY were an independent predictor of frailty when measured with the FI (OR 1.17, 95% CI: 1.10-1.24) but not with the FFP (OR 1.079, 95%% CI 1.00-1.17). CONCLUSIONS: Frailty correlates significantly with DALY, and more so with the FI than the FFP, reaffirming that these measures are different constructs. GBD data could represent a predictor of population-level frailty estimates, facilitating improved comparisons.

Investigating the management of diabetes in nursing homes using a mixed methods approach.

AIMS: As populations age there is an increased demand for nursing home (NH) care and a parallel increase in the prevalence of diabetes. Despite this, there is growing evidence that the management of diabetes in NHs is suboptimal. The reasons for this are complex and poorly understood. This study aimed to identify the current level of diabetes care in NHs using a mixed methods approach. METHODS: The nursing managers at all 44 NHs in County Galway in the West of Ireland were invited to participate. A mixed methods approach involved a postal survey, focus group and telephone interviews. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 75% (33/44) and 27% (9/33) of nursing managers participated in the qualitative research. The reported prevalence of diagnosed diabetes was 14% with 80% of NHs treating residents with insulin. Hypoglycaemia was reported as 'frequent' in 19% of NHs. A total of 36% of NHs have staff who have received diabetes education or training and 56% have access to diabetes care guidelines. Staff education was the most cited opportunity for improving diabetes care. Focus group and interview findings highlight variations in the level of support provided by GPs and access to dietetic, podiatry and retinal screening services. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for national clinical guidelines and standards of care for diabetes management in nursing homes, improved access to quality diabetes education for NH staff, and greater integration between healthcare services and NHs to ensure equity, continuity and quality in diabetes care delivery.

Assessing the Appropriateness of Oral Anticoagulation for Atrial Fibrillation in Advanced Frailty: Use of Stroke and Bleeding Risk-Prediction Models.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common among frail older adults. Oral anticoagulation (OAC) is particularly challenging for these due to overlapping stroke and bleeding risk factor profiles. OBJECTIVE: To compare the utility of stroke and haemorrhage risk-prediction instruments in the treatment of AF among frail older adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: Frail residents in four nursing homes with a Clinical Frailty Scale score ≥5 (median 7±0). MEASUREMENTS: The prevalence of AF was assessed by ECG and chart review. Stroke (CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc) and bleeding (HASBLED and HEMORR2HAGES) risk-prediction scores were then applied. A validated, risk-based, colour-coded decision support tool, incorporating these instruments, was then used to create a risk matrix and assess the appropriateness of OAC. RESULTS: In total, 225 patients were included. The distribution of CFS scores was similar irrespective of AF status. In all, 86/225 (38%) had any history of AF. Of these, only 15/86 (17%) were prescribed OAC. All those in AF scored ≥2 on the CHA2DS2-VASc. One-third also scored high-risk of bleeding using HAS-BLED or HEMORR2HAGES. Risk-prediction scores were similar between those with 'known' (documented) and occult (only on ECG) AF. The colour-coded decision tree suggested that OAC would be recommended for the majority in AF when HAS-BLED (60/86, 70%) was used as the bleeding risk-prediction instrument. Despite this, only 12/60 (20%) were anticoagulated. When HEMORR2HAGES was incorporated instead, one patient was advised OAC, the remainder no treatment (57%) or an antiplatelet (42%). DISCUSSION: Stroke risk was high and bleeding risk levels comparatively low, suggesting that the balance of risk may favor OAC for AF in this cohort of patients with advanced frailty. Despite this and the high prevalence of AF, OAC prescription rates were low. The decision-support tool used showed mixed results, depending on the bleeding-risk score incorporated, suggesting that while useful, they should not replace clinical judgement.

Building Bridges for Innovation in Ageing: Synergies between Action Groups of the EIP on AHA.

The Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) proposed six Action Groups. After almost three years of activity, many achievements have been obtained through commitments or collaborative work of the Action Groups. However, they have often worked in silos and, consequently, synergies between Action Groups have been proposed to strengthen the triple win of the EIP on AHA. The paper presents the methodology and current status of the Task Force on EIP on AHA synergies. Synergies are in line with the Action Groups' new Renovated Action Plan (2016-2018) to ensure that their future objectives are coherent and fully connected. The outcomes and impact of synergies are using the Monitoring and Assessment Framework for the EIP on AHA (MAFEIP). Eight proposals for synergies have been approved by the Task Force: Five cross-cutting synergies which can be used for all current and future synergies as they consider overarching domains (appropriate polypharmacy, citizen empowerment, teaching and coaching on AHA, deployment of synergies to EU regions, Responsible Research and Innovation), and three cross-cutting synergies focussing on current Action Group activities (falls, frailty, integrated care and chronic respiratory diseases).

The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing Synergies: Protocol for a Prospective Observational Study to Measure the Impact of a Community-Based Program on Prevention and Mitigation of Frailty (ICP - PMF) in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Aim of this paper is to describe the protocol of the study "Impact of a Community-based Program on Prevention and Mitigation of Frailty in community-dwelling older adults" developed in the framework of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. This proposal has been developed by the Partnership Action groups on frailty, fall prevention and polypharmacy in older. The proposal wants to assess the impact of community-based programs aimed to counteract three main outcomes related to frailty: hospitalization, institutionalization and death. Bringing together researchers from seven European countries, the proposal aims to achieve the critical mass and the geographical extension enough to provide information useful to all older European citizens. An observational study will be carried out to calculate the incidence of the different outcomes in relation to the various interventions that will be assessed; results will be compared with data coming from already established national, regional and local dataset using the observed/expected approach. The sample will be made up by at least 2000 citizens for each outcome. All the citizens will be assessed at the baseline with two multidimensional questionnaires: the RISC questionnaire and the Short Functional Geriatric Evaluation questionnaire. The outcomes will be assessed every six-twelve months.

Measuring the Effect of Carers on Patients' Risk of Adverse Healthcare Outcomes Using the Caregiver Network Score.

BACKGROUND: Although caregivers are important in the management of frail, community-dwelling older adults, the influence of different caregiver network types on the risk of adverse healthcare outcomes is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between caregiver type and the caregiver network subtest of The Risk Instrument for Screening in the Community (RISC), a five point Likert scale scored from one ("can manage") to five ("absent/liability"). To measure the association between caregiver network scores and the one-year incidence of institutionalisation, hospitalisation and death. DESIGN: Observational cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling adults, aged >65, attending health centres in Ireland, (n=779). PROCEDURE AND MEASUREMENTS: The caregiver network subtest of the RISC was scored by public health nurses. Caregivers were grouped dichotomously into low-risk (score of one) or high-risk (scores two-five). RESULTS: The majority of patients had a primary caregiver (582/779; 75%), most often their child (200/582; 34%). Caregiver network scores were highest, indicating greatest risk, when patients had no recognised primary caregiver and lowest when only a spouse or child was available. Despite this, patients with a caregiver were significantly more likely to be institutionalised than those where none was required or identified (11.5% versus 6.5%, p=0.047). The highest one-year incidence of adverse outcomes occurred when state provided care was the sole support; the lowest when private care was the sole support. Significantly more patients whose caregiver networks were scored high-risk required institutionalisation than low-risk networks; this association was strongest for perceived difficulty managing medical domain issues, odds ratio (OR) 3.87:(2.22-6.76). Only perceived difficulty managing ADL was significantly associated with death, OR 1.72:(1.06-2.79). There was no association between caregiver network scores and risk of hospitalisation. CONCLUSION: This study operationalizes a simple method to evaluate caregiver networks. Networks consisting of close family (spouse/children) and those reflecting greater socioeconomic privilege (private supports) were associated with lower incidence of adverse outcomes. Caregiver network scores better predicted institutionalisation than hospitalisation or death.

Components of the Risk Instrument for Screening in the Community (RISC) that Correlate with Public Health Nurses' Perception of Risk.

BACKGROUND: Functional decline and frailty are common in community-dwelling older adults, leading to an increased risk of adverse outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To examine the factors that public health nurses perceive to cause risk of three adverse outcomes: institutionalisation, hospitalisation, and death, in older adults, using the Risk Instrument for Screening in the Community (RISC). DESIGN: A quantitative, correlational, descriptive design was used. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 803 community-dwellers, aged over 65 years receiving regular follow-up by public health nurses. Procedure and Measurements: Public health nurses (n=15) scored the RISC and the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) on patients in their caseload. We examined and compared correlations between the severity of concern and ability of the caregiver network to manage these concerns with public health nurses' perception of risk of the three defined adverse outcomes. RESULTS: In total, 782 RISC scores were available. Concern was higher for the medical state domain (686/782,88%) compared with the mental state (306/782,39%) and activities of daily living (595/782,76%) domains. Concern was rated as severe for only a small percentage of patients. Perceived risk of institutionalisation had the strongest correlation with concern over patients mental state,(r=0.53), while risk of hospitalisation,(r=0.53) and death,(r=0.40) correlated most strongly with concern over the medical state. Weaker correlations were found for the other domains and RISC scores. The CFS most strongly correlated with the ADL domain,(r=0.78). CONCLUSION: Although the prevalence of concern was high, it was mostly rated as mild. Perceived risk of institutionalisation correlated most with concern over the ability of caregiver networks to manage patients' mental state, while risk of hospitalisation and death correlated with patients' medical state. The findings suggest the importance of including an assessment of the caregiver network when examining community-dwelling older adults. Validation of the RISC and public health nurses' ratings are now required.

The Community Assessment of Risk Instrument: Investigation of Inter-Rater Reliability of an Instrument Measuring Risk of Adverse Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is increasingly common in community dwelling older adults and increases their risk of adverse outcomes. Risk assessment is implicit in the Aged Care Assessment Teams process, but few studies have considered the factors that influence the assessor's decision making or explored the factors that may contribute to their interpretation of risk. OBJECTIVE: to examine the inter-rater reliability of the Community Assessment of Risk Instrument (CARI), which is a new risk assessment instrument. DESIGN: A cohort study was used. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 50 community dwelling older adults underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment by two raters: a geriatrician and a registered nurse. Procedure and measurements: Each participant was scored for risk by the two raters using the CARI. This instrument ranks risk of three adverse outcomes, namely i) institutionalisation, ii) hospitalisation and iii) death within the next year from a score of 1, which is minimal risk to 5, which is extreme risk. Inter-rater reliability was assessed with Gamma, Spearman correlation and Kappa statistics. Internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: There were 30 female (mean age 82.23 years) and 20 male (mean age 81.75 years) participants. Items within domains showed good-excellent agreement. The gamma statistic was >0.77 on 6/7 Mental State items, 14/15 items in the Activities of Daily Living domain. In the Medical domain, 6/9 items had Gamma scores >0.80. The global domain scores correlated well, 0.88, 0.72 and 0.87. Caregiver network scores were 0.71, 0.73 and 0.51 for the three domains. Inter-rater reliability scores for global risk scales were 0.86 (institutionalisation) and 0.78 (death). The gamma statistic for hospitalisation was 0.29, indicative of lower inter-rater reliability. Cronbach's alpha was 0.86 and 0.83 for the Activities of Daily Living domain, 0.51 and 0.42 for the Mental state domain and 0.23 and 0.10 for the Medical state domain. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the instrument shows good inter-rater reliability. Poor correlations on some items relate to poor communication of clinical data and variable interpretation based on professional background. Lack of internal consistency in the medical condition domain confirms the discrete nature of these variables.