Abstract
Background: The multidimensional assessment of frailty allows stratifying it into degrees; however, there is still heterogeneity in the characteristics of people in each stratum. The aim of this study was to identify frailty profiles of older people users of a home-based primary care service. Methods: We carried out an observational study from January 2018 to January 2021. Participants were all people cared for a home-based primary care service. We performed a cluster analysis by applying a k-means clustering technique. Cluster labeling was determined with the 22 variables of the Frail-VIG index, age, and sex. We computed multiple indexes to assess the optimal number of clusters, and this was selected based on a clinical assessment of the best options. Results: Four hundred and twelve participants were clustered into six profiles. Three of these profiles corresponded to a moderate frailty degree, two to a severe frailty degree and one to a mild frailty degree. In addition, almost 75% of the participants were clustered into three profiles which corresponded to mild and moderate degree of frailty. Conclusions: Different profiles were found within the same degree of frailty. Knowledge of these profiles can be useful in developing strategies tailored to these differentiated care needs.
Highlights
Quality of life was negatively correlated with the degree of frailty
We described this finding in more detail in a recent publication [31]
This study identified six profiles of frailty, with clinical interest in older people users of a home-based primary care service
Summary
The aging of the world’s population is contributing to an increase in the number of people with multimorbidity and complex care needs; as a result, the condition of frailty is receiving greater international interest [1]. Frailty determines a reduction in functional reserve and a higher risk of adverse outcomes such as increased mortality, disability and use of healthcare resources [3,4,5]. It is age-related, progressive, dynamic and potentially modifiable–and, preventable [6,7]. The introduction of the concept of frailty in clinical practice allows the identification of complex care needs by differentiating between chronological and biological age. The aim of this study was to identify frailty profiles of older people users of a home-based primary care service
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