The characteristics of frail elderly patients in acute care hospitals

Abstract

Efforts to improve the treatment of frail elderly patients in acute care hospitals are urgently needed because a low physical activity level due to hospitalization is reported to be associated with a risk of disability. The aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of frail elderly patients in acute care hospitals. We assessed 198 elderly patients who were admitted to acute care hospitals. The factors that were evaluated included the presence of frailty, the age, gender, and nutritional status of the patients, and complications that developed during hospitalization. In this study, frailty was evaluated using the Kihon checklist (KCL), and was defined by a total KCL score of ≥7 points. A total of 87 (43.9%) subjects met the definition of frailty and there was a female predominance (63.2%). The nutritional status of the subjects with frailty was significantly worse than that of the non-frail patients. In comparison to the non-frail subjects, the frail subjects were significantly older and the onset of complications during hospitalization was observed significantly more frequently. Moreover, a large number of frail subjects showed low scores on the KCL items related to their social activity, physical and oral functions, and psychological status. These findings suggest that efforts to improve the treatment of frail elderly patients in acute care hospitals are important because of the high incidence of frailty. Multifaceted assessments and the promotion of physical activity to prevent the onset of complications during hospitalization may be needed for frail elderly patients in acute care hospitals.