| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society 2005
Commentaries |
What would make a definition of frailty successful?
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Address correspondence to: K. Rockwood, Centre for Health Care of the Elderly, 5955 Veterans Memorial Lane, Suite 1421, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 2E1. Fax: (+1) 613 902 473 1050. Email: kenneth.rockwood{at}dal.ca
Abstract
At present, frailty is defined variably. Some consensus on a definition is likely to emerge, but the basis for a successful definition needs to be explored. Here, a classic approach to validation is proposed: a successful definition of frailty should be multifactorial but must also manage the many factors in a way that takes their interactions into account. It is likely to be correlated with disability, co-morbidity and self-rated health, and should identify a group that is vulnerable to adverse outcomes. Ideally, it should also be susceptible to animal modelling. In that frailty and age are so bound together, it is also likely that there will be some age at which virtually all people will be frail, by any definition. Apart from being valid, the success of any definition of frailty will depend on it being useful to researchers and clinicians. The need for progress on our understanding of frailty is evident, but for now, there is insufficient evidence to accept a single definition of frailty.
Keywords: frailty, definition, disability, co-morbidity, mortality, predictive validity, consensus
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  D. Oliver 'Acopia' and 'social admission' are not diagnoses: why older people deserve better J R Soc Med, April 1, 2008; 101(4): 168 - 174. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. Ravaglia, P. Forti, A. Lucicesare, N. Pisacane, E. Rietti, and C. Patterson Development of an easy prognostic score for frailty outcomes in the aged Age Ageing, March 1, 2008; 37(2): 161 - 166. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
F. C. Martin and P. Brighton Frailty: different tools for different purposes? Age Ageing, March 1, 2008; 37(2): 129 - 131. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 L. Desquilbet, L. P. Jacobson, L. P. Fried, J. P. Phair, B. D. Jamieson, M. Holloway, J. B. Margolick, and for the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study HIV-1 Infection Is Associated With an Earlier Occurrence of a Phenotype Related to Frailty J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., November 1, 2007; 62(11): 1279 - 1286. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Rockwood and A. Mitnitski Frailty in Relation to the Accumulation of Deficits J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., July 1, 2007; 62(7): 722 - 727. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
H. E. Whitson, J. L. Purser, and H. J. Cohen Frailty Thy Name Is ... Phrailty? J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., July 1, 2007; 62(7): 728 - 730. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
H. Bergman, L. Ferrucci, J. Guralnik, D. B. Hogan, S. Hummel, S. Karunananthan, and C. Wolfson Frailty: An Emerging Research and Clinical Paradigm Issues and Controversies J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., July 1, 2007; 62(7): 731 - 737. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Rockwood, M. Andrew, and A. Mitnitski A Comparison of Two Approaches to Measuring Frailty in Elderly People J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., July 1, 2007; 62(7): 738 - 743. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J R Playfer Ageing and Parkinson's disease Practical Neurology, February 1, 2007; 7(1): 4 - 5. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. G. Parker, R. Fadayevatan, and S. D. Lee Acute hospital care for frail older people Age Ageing, November 1, 2006; 35(6): 551 - 552. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|