Work in Progress: Policy Brief on the effect of frailty on healthcare access
Members of our network are currently working on a Policy Brief on the effect of frailty on healthcare access.
The effect of frailty on healthcare access
Frailty is increasingly seen as a problematic expression of population aging and represents an emerging challenge for health systems. Despite Switzerland falling among countries with the lowest prevalence rates, physical frailty has increased over time, while psychological and social frailty has fluctuated.
Today, frailty is measured with several instruments, whose use varies considerably even within the same setting or context. As a result, there are consistent differences in how the “same” elderly is classified, prevalence is estimated, and interventions are implemented. Moreover, most instruments focus on the physical domains of frailty, despite it has been argued that adopting a multidimensional approach may avoid care fragmentation and consequent negative health outcomes.
The main objective of this policy brief and stakeholder dialogue is to provide evidence on the effect of frailty, measured multidimentionally, on the patterns of healthcare utilization in different care settings in Switzerland, and to ultimately issue recommendations aimed at designing appropriate care strategies and reduce potential health inequalities in these patients.
Frailty is a complex health condition and neglecting a multidimentional, holistic approach, may lead to negative health outcomes, care fragmentation and inappropriate care strategies. Cecilia Luini, author of the Policy Brief
Author: Cecilia Luini
Institution: Università della Svizzera italiana (USI)
E-Mail: cecilia.luini@usi.ch
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