Short-term changes in frailty status and associated factors over 3 months of multidisciplinary outpatient care in older adults

Abstract

[Purpose] To examine short-term changes in frailty status over 3 months in older adults attending a hospital-based frailty outpatient clinic and to identify factors associated with frailty improvement. [Participants and Methods] This retrospective observational study included 100 community-dwelling adults aged ≥60 years who attended a hospital-based frailty outpatient clinic and were classified as frail or pre-frail at baseline. The outpatient care program included medical evaluation, nutritional counseling, and individualized home exercise instruction. Frailty was assessed using the Japanese Cardiovascular Health Study criteria at baseline and after 3 months. [Results] Frailty status improved in 51% of participants after 3 months. Among the frailty components, slow walking speed and exhaustion showed the greatest improvements. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, daily home exercise adherence was independently associated with frailty improvement, whereas exercising several days per week or not exercising was associated with significantly lower odds of improvement. [Conclusion] Frailty status improved in approximately half of the participants during 3 months of multidisciplinary outpatient care. Daily home exercise frequency was independently associated with frailty improvement in this real-world clinical setting.